Interview with a Winged Hero
by xeveningx
Summary: "Aren't Quirks gifts to mankind and whatnot?" "Not all of them. Some are more curses than anything. At least mine is." He scoffed, but a small smile—weary and tired as he—came to his lips at her sincere words. "Yours and mine, sweetheart. Yours and mine."
1. Coincidence

**A coin toss between some friends and I decided whether I posted this or not. Tails 'post', heads 'don't'. **

**Guess who won.**

* * *

**_Interview with a Winged Hero_**

**Chapter One:**

_Coincidence_

* * *

—_The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence._

**_Paul Auster_**

* * *

**Ever since their advent and acceptance into society, Quirks have been heralded as an extraordinary part of a person. With them, one could do good. One could make their lives and those of others better. Quirks became blessings in the eyes of future generations when they had only been seen as nothing but blights in the perfection that was humanity. Until time changed history and by proxy how others viewed them.**

**But any blessing abused can easily become a curse.**

**For times such as those—when Quirks bring more pain and misery than opportunity and fortune—and for those poor souls who possess them, it truly would have been better to never have known power at all.**

* * *

"_Please…"_ Her voice was broken, tired. Like her. _"Please, don't send me back."_

* * *

**Present day - Kyushu**

Another loaded box fell with a heavy _thud _onto the floor of the barren living room, falling in line with the rest already unloaded. Wiping away the beads of sweat rolling down her brow, the young woman brushed back strands of wavy hair from the mess of a ponytail she sprung together and looked about the place.

This was it. Her new home.

The hint of a smile curled at the edge of her lips from the thought alone. It was a bit run down. Nothing a new coat of paint couldn't fix though. Taking into consideration how cheap she'd gotten it for—not to mention the ridiculously short notice—its appearance was the least of her worries. It being a cramped two-story studio didn't bother her much when it had a generous backyard. Definitely made up for the lack of space. It wasn't perfect, and it certainly held no candle to where she used to live, but it was different. And different was exactly what she needed now.

"Oi, Ryo, where do you want this?"

Whirling on her heels, Miryoku cringed at finding her friend carrying the heaviest box she had packed with tensed arms and buckling feet. Instinctively, she ran to help her when it seemed to almost fall from her grasp when a shocked gasp escaped her. Miryoku heaved a long sigh the moment she caught the box while her friend took a moment to steady her footing with a playful chuckle.

"Didn't I tell you to wait for me, Makoto?"

Makoto's brilliant green eyes peeked from over the box and met Miryoku's peeved glare before flashing her a bright grin. "What for? This ain't nothing compared to the ones with your clothes."

Miryoku rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the laugh from rushing out of her. There really wasn't any use arguing with her. Years of knowing Makoto taught her that. A part of her secretly hoped to one day get her to listen to a modicum of common sense. Though that appeared to be less and less likely each passing day.

Resigned to her friend's whims, Miryoku helped Makoto gently place the box down alongside the others. Both leaned against the taller boxes they had carried in to take a much needed break. It'd taken them most of the morning to move Miryoku's stuff out of the van and car and into her little house. A miracle, really. The trip to Kyushu had been a long one for sure but certainly not as long as she dreaded it could've been. The mere prospect of getting away had been enough to encourage her through the long hours of driving. Seeing the house once there invigorated her enough to put her back into a moving-in mood too.

Recalling those long and rather _rowdy_ hours, Miryoku's brow furrowed after searching the empty house and not finding whom she'd been looking for.

"Where's Junji?"

"Out back." Miryoku jumped when Makoto sprung out a boxcutter from god knew where to open a random box, a rather creepy smile tugging at her lips. The flaps flew open unceremoniously and she paused long enough to point at the glass sliding door that separated what looked to be her new kitchen/dining room from the backyard. "The instant I let him out of the car he started marking his territory, so I thought letting him out back would be better."

Miryoku scoffed. "Typical."

Sliding the door open greeted her to the sight of her year old Malamute doing laps around their new yard, dashing through the open space and barking as he did so. And here she thought he would have trouble acclimating after the long trip. It looked like, if anything, she would be the last one getting used to this.

"Hey."

Miryoku tensed at the sound of Makoto's voice. Close behind her to be noticeable but not far enough for her to be comfortable. Without even checking, she knew quite a few things from just her voice. How far away she was from her. Where in the house she was. And most importantly, how long it'd take for Makoto to catch her if the conversation got too awkward for her to bother with it. Not wanting for her immediate response to be to flee, Miryoku walked out into the yard and plopped down onto the wood veranda that separated the grassy field from the house. Makoto came and swiftly took a seat beside her with just enough distance between them to not be bothersome.

"How're you holding up?"

Miryoku shrugged and focused on Junji as he sprinted across freshly cut grass, blades rising in the air briefly as he leapt through it before falling all over his back. Unconsciously, she toyed with her left hand, her fingers turning an empty space on her ring finger.

"Alright."

"Did the distance help?"

"I'd say so."

"Do you feel safe here?"

The question earned a dry chuckle from Miryoku. "I just moved in, Mako."

Makoto didn't think it a laughing matter. Neither did she, frankly. But thinking about the reason she moved didn't quite feel like the right housewarming gift from her part. Miryoku wrung out an answer knowing Mako wouldn't leave well enough alone.

"Relatively speaking, I guess."

A grin split across Makoto's face, toothy as ever. The gravity of the moment disappeared as soon as that familiar brilliance popped out, getting a smile out of her too. "Then that's already a win in my books."

_True enough._

Miryoku scoffed and leaned forward to rest her forehead against her bent knees. "Next time, though, try coming up with an idea that doesn't drain my savings."

"Totally worth it in my opinion." Makoto sprung up like a toy and caught Junji's attention as he rolled around on the fresh grass. His ears perked up the moment Makoto made her way to him, the roughhousing commencing almost immediately. "Kyushu's lovely! And most importantly, I'm sure there's loads of gossip for you to write about."

Miryoku groaned at the reminder. Her mouth fell agape ready to counter that point when her phone rang. Fishing it out of her pocket and peeking at the number on the screen wrenched another groan from her, this one far louder than the last.

Makoto let out an apologetic chuckle, pausing in her dancing with Junji at recognizing that painstaking sound. "Did I jinx it?" All she got as a response was another peeved glare before Miryoku answered the call.

_No use ignoring it forever. No matter how much I wish I could._

"Chimni here."

"_Miryoku, good to hear from you. How's the move going?"_

"It's going." Not wanting to beat around the bush but knowing that she would hate herself for asking, she took one long breath before opting for the least of two evils. "Is something the matter?"

Thankfully—or not—he didn't either.

"_I've got an urgent matter on my hands."_

_There it is._

"It's my day off." He hadn't even asked yet but she wasn't that dumb. Why else call? Besides, the excuse came out without her even having to think about it. A lame excuse, yes, but a valid one nonetheless.

"_I know, but we've got to nail this interview if we want to finish the piece before the Billboard showcase."_

"You know the staff's made up of others aside from me, right?" Miryoku knew arguing only put him in a worse mood. But she asked for the day off for a reason; all she wanted to do after unpacking was snuggle with Junji with a hot cup of coffee and a good book for once. Work was the last thing she wanted to deal with at the moment. "Can't you get someone else to do it?"

"_They're all busy with their work."_

_And I'm not? _"What about Saori?"

"_She's got her hands full with the main piece."_

_How in the—_s_he's had two months to work on it?! _

A grumble or two escaped her out of annoyance but other than that she managed to keep her mouth shut. Complaining wouldn't get her anywhere. Not unless it was a reprimand she wanted. It certainly didn't mean it didn't irked her though.

"I don't know, boss. I've never asked for a day off before. Was kind of hoping I'd get it for once."

"_I'll double your bonus for the hours you work on the piece."_

_Mm... _

"Triple the bonus. And give me first pick and free reign on my piece for the spring issue."

The click of his tongue came from the other line rather promptly. _"That's quite a handful you're asking."_

"It's quite a handful _you're _asking of me on my day off that _you _authorized." Miryoku pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her giddiness, something useless seeing as it was a phone call. But if he wanted to gamble, she'd play. She loved a good gamble. "I suppose you could get someone else to do it if you're not up to it."

"_Cheeky brat." _Through his words she heard that typical surly scoff and could imagine the amused look on the old man's face.

Just thinking of it and what that meant caused her nose to scrunch up when she smiled. "You called me for a reason, boss."

"_Better get to the office soon then. The interview is at three."_

"Debrief me now and give me the address. I'll be ready at the respondent's in an hour."

* * *

**Five years earlier - Tokyo**

"Ta~da!"

Miryoku raised an incredulous eyebrow at Makoto as she held a flyer at her with the widest and goofiest grin she'd ever seen on her friend's face. She slurped her matcha shake noisily and gave Makoto a droll stare over the rim of her red glasses. Pouting at the lack of reaction, Makoto exclaimed again and this time shoved the paper into her chest.

"Read it!"

Miryoku fumbled with the crumpled paper and her shake before setting the latter down and smoothing out the wrinkled flyer. It was amazing to witness just how far her brow furrowed the further she read. By the end though, a small glint shone in her eyes. Makoto's smile beamed at the change of expression on her friend's face, smug pride painting every inch of her face.

"So? So? So?" Makoto asked, bouncing on the balls of her heels expectantly with each word. "What do you think?"

"It's not gonna happen, Mako."

Makoto's enthusiasm deflated faster than a popped balloon. She flung her arms in the air along with the hope she'd placed in that flyer. Unfazed by her friend's characteristic overzealousness, Miryoku went about picking up her cup intent on returning to her peaceful drinking when Makoto abruptly swiped it from her hands.

"Hey!"

"Ryo, you've gotta at least try!"

"Like hell I do," she responded, snatching the shake back. Taking a big slurp while all the chagrin quickly multiplied in her, her cheeks shaded slightly pink at her insisting as her glasses slipped down her nose. "I already told you I'm not doing it."

"_Please!_" Makoto crouched before her and directed that kicked puppy look at her.

Miryoku drank from her shake unfazed.

"No," she deadpanned.

"Ryo-chan, think about it. Like _really_ think about it. You want to be a journalist, right? Be the creme of the creme?"

Miryoku bit down on her straw as she let those words sink in while still shooting her an uninterested glance. "And?"

"_And_—that requires a damn good resume! Wouldn't an internship _and_ getting a piece published by one of Japan's most notorious papers give you one helluva ride to whatever school you wanted?"

"That's considering if I win, Makoto."

"Oh, come on!" Makoto shook Miryoku's knees violently and the rest of her along with them. She didn't mind it all that much. She learned a long time ago that any encouragement only incited more of Makoto's zealousness. "You and I both know you could sweep the floor with all the other applicants."

"Not with this prompt." Miryoku slurped once more before shoving the flyer into Makoto's face for a change. "Read it and weep, Tsukauchi."

Makoto's eyes swept across a paper she'd read at least twenty times over. "It's just writing some column on a current hero, their achievements and how they could change the world," she recited before shrugging her shoulders with a coy grin. "What's so difficult about that?"

"I don't want to duke it out with thousands of other applicants writing about how cool and wonderful and world-changing All Might's been to Japan and the world at large for the last couple decades."

Makoto shrugged her shoulders again. Taking the cup from Miryoku's hand, she took another gander at the flyer as she slurped from the matcha shake herself. "I still don't understand what's got you shooting it down. You're top of the class in English and Japanese, president of the journalism club, and head writer in the school newspaper." Makoto counted off each with a finger until she only held the shake with her index finger and thumb. It was easy taking it back with the precarious hold her friend had it in then, something Makoto didn't mind much.

"Don't compare oranges to apples," she rectified, crossing her arms out before her chest in a big, fat 'X'. "Club activities and school newspapers are nothing compared to actual published articles. That I do well in one does _not _mean I won't wreck the other."

"Certainly not with that attitude." Makoto folded the flyer all the same and slipped it into the pocket of Miryoku's school blazer. Miryoku only watched her with a slight frown. "But seriously, Ryo, think about it. Chances are a dime a dozen but nothing will come of it if you don't ever try. So, c'mon, give yourself a chance."

Those words bounced around Miryoku's head that night.

She laid on her bed scrolling through social media on her phone minutes before dinner. The flyer laid a few inches beside her a crumpled mess from being all day untouched and forgotten in her blazer's pocket. The contest and prize that came with it swam in her mind as she scrolled through the recent news.

All Might. All Might. Best Jeanist. All Might. Endeavor. All Might. All Might. Some debutante, Miruko. All Might. Wait, what's that? Oh, more All Might.

Yeah—there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the contest would be full of nothing but grandiose stories about Japan's number one hero.

Miryoku couldn't blame anybody. Those stories practically wrote themselves. The man wasn't number one for nothing. All the things he did, all the lives he saved—no doubt any given case regarding him would be a page-turner in itself. But that was the problem. All Might gave journalists a handicap. A safe go-to when a story was needed. No one would diss an article written about the man, after all. And he'd done a thousand and one heroisms to keep Japan's papers fed for years.

Makoto hadn't been wrong to think that it'd be easy to write for the prompt. Miryoku didn't have a doubt in her mind that she could do it if she put her mind to it. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that she could do one of two things with it. One, she could go for what Mako considered the 'easy win' and write a column on All Might. But that easily brought her to the first obstacle: oversaturation. If she wanted to catch that particular fish from that river, they'd be lots of other fishers competing for the same thing. And that would only bring more unnecessary competition her way.

The second option wasn't any better. How did that saying go? If you can't join them, beat them?

_No, other way around._

Regardless, the point stood. If she couldn't afford duking it out with other All Might articles, the only other option was to write about someone else. But how in the hell was she supposed to find someone just as amazing as Mr. Number One?

Miryoku sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time during the night. From downstairs, her grandpa's voice called from the kitchen. Apparently, they'd be dining out by the sound of it. Grabbing a jacket on her way out, she checked the trending on her phone one last time and stopped a bit short. For once, it wasn't All Might. Instead it was a blurry picture. Something bright red flashing in a blur with speed she couldn't fathom sped through the photo. The headline read, '_Striking as fast as crimson lightning, a new hero arises!'_

A whole train wreck. Whoever this striking crimson fellow was, he just saved the whole train wreck that happened not far from where she lived. A bullet train nonetheless. As she strutted down the stairs, she reloaded the trending page over and over as new information came out. More photos, quotes from bystanders and victims, various angles from many videos.

The guy just saved 306 people aboard that train in a matter of seconds. From the looks of things, he wasn't any type of power house of All Might's or even Endeavor's caliber. He was lean and a little on the short side, and those wings…

"Put that thing away!" A smack of a cane on her hand got a yelp from her and took Miryoku's attention away from the picture she'd been lost in. "Seriously, kids these days."

Shaking the pain away, Miryoku took a small peek at the screen one last time before trotting after the short old man who motioned for her to follow after him.

"Hey, gramps, you heard anything recently about some hero with huge crimson wings?"

"Wings?"

Miryoku nodded expectantly.

"He goes by the hero name Hawks."

* * *

**Present Day - Kyushu**

Her foot tapped furiously against the tiled floors of the agency's lobby. Lips pursed ever so slightly and clearly peeved by her current predicament, Miryoku stared at the young intern. From what information her boss oh so distinctively left till the end, they were not only new but would shadow her to get a more 'hands-on' experience for an indefinite period.

Miryoku called bullshit.

She never got to shadow anybody during her internship and she'd been slaving away for the damn publication since her third year of high school. But old resentments aside, this was the worst of the worst. There was a good reason why she always asked to do interviews alone. Most at the office called her prissy because of it but given the fact that she was allowed to do field work on her own, someone up the ladder agreed with her to some extent. That was a plus...until it wasn't. Like when they expected repayment for the liberty given.

Exactly like right now.

A long sigh passed through her nose as she took in the intern. Poor thing was nervous. That much was obvious by how she struggled with her clipboard and camera after almost dropping them a couple of times. She gave Miryoku a meek smile which she felt compelled to reciprocate. She had to remind herself that she'd been in her shoes once. First time interviewing was the worst.

_Giving her a break or two won't hurt, I suppose._

So long as she didn't mess up the interview.

"Chimni-san?"

Miryoku turned to one of the sidekicks at the agency who held a clipboard of his own. With a quick glance to double check, he pointed back towards the elevator. "Boss is still out at the moment but you're welcomed to wait at his office while he gets back."

"He's not here? Seriously?" Her brow knitted after pulling back her sleeve to peek at her wristwatch. "The interview's in five minutes."

"I wouldn't worry too much." He dismissed it with a wave of his hand. "Our boss doesn't break commitments that easily, especially without previous notice. If he hasn't called us well beforehand to cancel, then it's pretty certain he'll show up."

"Better be on time." Thankfully nobody heard her grumble under her breath. Without further ado, the sidekick led them up the elevator and through a long hallway into the office that ended there. Opening the door, the two of them entered without much preamble.

"If you require anything while you wait, let us know." He motioned to an intercom on the desk and pointed at a button before taking his leave.

Miryoku stepped further into the office, examining and stashing away the details in the recesses of her mind. Spacious came to mind first. Tall came in second. Unlike the lobby five floors below, this one room had a rather high ceiling. It looked tasteful. Notably because one half of the room was walls that were nothing but high window panes that looked out into the city. Surely gave off an awe-inspiring view once dusk fell. But just when Miryoku lost herself thinking what sunset would look like when hitting so many panes of glass at once, the sudden sound of papers and notebooks falling startled her enough to spin about.

The intern scrambled on the floor in a panicked rush to pick up all that she dropped. Miryoku abstained from letting any harsh remarks leave her lips. This wasn't the time to berate her. She still remembered her first interview and if the girl was half as anxious as she'd been all those years ago, then she pitied the poor thing. Walking over, Miryoku carefully crouched to help clean up the mess and quickly quieted the nervous babbling of the girl with a quick smile.

"Relax," Miryoku told her under her breath before helping her up once all the papers were back in their hands. Taking the ones she already had, Miryoku guided the young woman back to the pair of couches set aside for waiting and sat her down. "Now take a deep breathe in," the girl followed her quiet orders, inhaling deeply along with her, "and out."

Once only a few traces of her nervousness were left, Miryoku eyed the papers and notebooks the girl had brought with her for the interview.

"Do you have a recorder?"

"M-M-My phone has one."

Miryoku nodded before plucking from the breast pocket of her blazer a black fountain pen and waving it a few times for emphasis. "Try to get a physical one later. Wouldn't want to compromise info because of an app that didn't save things, believe me. This one's a tad bit on the expensive side but any recorder will do find."

"Y-Yes…"

"Also, it's alright to be nervous," she said smiling before winking at the girl. "The trick is in not letting it show."

"Not letting it show?"

"Mm!" Sitting straight, Miryoku took a deep breath before running her hand down just a few inches in front of the middle of her face. Her face deadpanned with a polite smile for a split second before the caring one from a moment ago beamed out and replaced it. "It's easy once you know how to trigger it. Poker did the trick for me, but don't get into any vices by my account."

A trembling smile came back to the intern's face before she took a deep breath to calm her quivering lip. "Thank you, Chimni-san."

"No worries, um…" Miryoku chuckled and profusely apologized, "I don't think we've properly introduced one another."

"Oh!" the intern called and sat up straighter to bow her head. "I'm Ito Shimei, Chimni-san. It's a pleasure learning under you."

"The pleasure's mine, Ito-san." Miryoku, spotting her wrist watch as she waved her hand dismissively, groaned at the time. "Of course, it'd be much better if we could get you some actual experience with a timely interview."

"You called?"

The deep voice that flowed into the room from above made both of them turn their heads upward and over their shoulders towards the grand glass wall. One of the highest panes folded outward, locking when the pane stood a few degrees open. Just enough, she surmised, for the man that perched himself on the high window to enter whenever he wanted. Large crimson wings beat the few times it took to bring Hawks down from the perch on his window. And though he landed without a hitch, the same couldn't be said about the mess his floor suddenly became with so many red feathers strewn about after that show. He gave a quick 'my bad' before the feathers gathered and took their rightful place back on his wings.

Miryoku let out a long sigh as the current No.3 hero in all of Japan made himself comfortable, removing his jacket to let his wings span behind him freely.

"Sorry 'bout that. Things got a little hairier than I thought," he interjected as he went around to a mini fridge Miryoku hadn't noticed was in the office to take a bottled water from inside. He took a moment to drink but smiled at them after gulping down the liquid. "But I'm here on time, so no harm, no foul."

_On time?_

Miryoku was about to correct him but stopped short when a brief glance at her wrist watch showed her that it had just turned three on the dot. One end of Hawks lips perked up higher forming a smirk instead of a smile when she looked back up at him. If Miryoku didn't know better—and were she to have terrible work manners—she would've called him out for boasting.

"You must be my 3 o'clock appointment. Which means you girls are here for the interview, right?"

"Indeed." Unamused but hiding it behind a thin-lined smile, Miryoku simply clicked her pen before placing it back in her blazer's pocket and giving the intern a sidelong glance.

Flustered and still nervous, Ito jumped after a few seconds of scrutiny and stumbled with her words, repeating every other word at least three times as she struggled to get her notebook together. Miryoku groaned inwardly at the sight; she slightly regretted giving her the job of interviewing him under her supervision with every passing second. Regardless, though, she also knew that if she didn't get any experience and grow out of her comfort zone, none of it would change.

_A little help never hurt anybody._

Miryoku stepped in after Ito fumbled with finding her own pen. Reaching her hand out, Miryoku smiled back at Hawks as she introduced themselves. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hawks-san. My name's Chimni Miryoku and this is Ito Shimei-san; we come from JP Weekly."

"That was the name." He burst with a snap of his fingers. A chuckle left him as he leaned back against his desk, leaving the water bottle aside to shake her hand. "Well, I'm sure you ladies are pros at this, so fire away."

Taking another deep breath, Miryoku turned to Ito subtly and nodded when the younger woman made eye contact with her. Though she stuttered through the first few words, Ito managed to get out the first question of the list she'd been given. For as much as Miryoku wanted to get this over with and get back to unpacking, she also knew that there was no point in hurrying the intern. She needed to learn as painstakingly slow as she had back when she started, after all. So instead of opening her mouth Miryoku watched over her as the interview went on.

Thankfully, Hawks, whether he noticed Ito's unassuredness or not, made the process a lot smoother. Miryoku couldn't deny that the man was a charmer, something quite obvious by the way he easily swayed Ito back and forth on any single topic before seemingly getting over it and coaxing her to the next. It made her job easier frankly, but she didn't like that he was dragging Ito by the nose because of it. And it wasn't until after five minutes of nonsensical chat that she put her foot forward and decided to intervene with the first random question that popped into her head.

"Say, Hawks-san, if I'm not mistaken, ever since your start as a hero, it's been looking like a swift uphill climb to the top from the outside. But surely there's more to that than mere luck and talent. Would you mind elaborating a bit on how the experience of coming to be the No.3 hero after your debut at eighteen has changed or shaped you—or even if it hasn't, for that matter?"

Amber eyes bore into her as he seemed to stare a second too long. Miryoku stood as relaxed as she could manage under the scrutiny, her smile never faltering from her lips. As if nothing, he chuckled before his gaze went askance as he stretched out his arms in front of him.

"Change is subjective, in my opinion. Nothing much has changed about me. If anything seems to be changing, it's most likely everything surrounding me. Looking at it that way, it kinda just makes it seem like I'm the one moving, don't you think?"

For an instant, Miryoku's facade broke as her brow furrowed at the odd reply. A strange sense of deja vu washed over her at his words but before she could say anything in return, Ito stepped back in to take over. Miryoku didn't mind. In fact, she was thankful for the interruption. For some reason, she couldn't shake off the words he'd said. _Have I heard that somewhere before?_ But whatever she might've or not forgotten turned out strenuous to recall now that every so often she caught Hawks peering over at her. It wasn't like he tried to hide it—neither was she, for that matter—but it didn't take away from the awkwardness it brought.

_Just forget about it, Ryo. If it's not about work, no sense worrying about it._

Her brain was right. She had plenty of more things to worry about than some hero being weird towards her. It wasn't anything new. Work hazard, she supposed. Thankfully, Ito mellowed down halfway through and the interview sailed free of issues for the most part after that. Once done, Miryoku stepped forward again as she put her papers in order.

Stretching her hand out again to shake his, she smiled at him courteously. "I believe that's all the questions we have for you, Hawks-san. Again, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. We really appreciate it."

"Right back at ya."

Shaking hands, Miryoku began to pull hers back but stopped when his grasp didn't lessen. Her eyes veered upward to meet his and suddenly blinked, astounded by the look he gave her. Something between a pout and a pensive frown twisted his mouth to one side. A rather childish gesture for a man his age if anything. But before she could pull away and not think about it any further, his lips parted and he spoke his mind unbothered.

"Say, have you and I met before?"

_What?_

Sunset colored eyes went wide for a brief second as the question took her by surprise. 'Have they met before?' What kind of question was that? Just as she was about to deny it, a pricking feeling at the back of her mind stopped the words from escaping her mouth. The ache in her brain was bothersome, and though it had her brow scrunched down together in thought, Miryoku readily decided on her answer and parted her lips to speak.

"Sorry." Miryoku blinked in confusion once more when Hawks spoke ahead of her. Finally letting go of her hand, he chuckled and brushed a hand through windswept, dark blonde tresses. "I seriously thought we might've met before but I guess not."

Miryoku's perplexion didn't waver much though even after Hawks called for his sidekicks to escort them out. It had her sparing glances over her shoulder at the Winged Hero a couple times before giving up when the doors closed behind them.

_What was up with that?_

"Chimni-san?"

She blinked at Ito, returning back down to earth with the one call and assuring her that she'd done a good job for her first time. "Go ahead to the office and classify that. I'll walk you through how to start the column first thing tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am."

Miryoku waved after Ito as she left in a cab and stood back once alone to stare up at the towering building that was the current No.3's agency in the heart of Kyushu. Deftly twirling her pen between her fingers deep in thought, Miryoku let out an exasperated breath before clicking off the recorder and pocketing it back in her blazer.

"No time for overthinking things," she mumbled to herself and turned on her heels to head to her car. She had a new home to furnish and they had finished considerably later than she had first guessed. It'd take long into the night to get anymore. Miryoku sighed again as she walked off to the parking lot, a certain doubt lingering in her mind.

_He must've been mistaken._

* * *

**Five years ago—Tokyo**

The blinding blue light of her computer screen reflected back at her from the glass of red rimmed glasses tiring her sight and making Miryoku reach underneath them to rub at her tired eyes.

Fourteen straight hours of researching online about the up and coming 'Winged Hero' and the next eight writing up a rough draft of the article had snatched most of her day up without her noticing. She'd gotten too into this without meaning to. Much like everything else that caught her attention, it absorbed her and blinded her to her surroundings. Even gramps knew not to bother her when she was like that and had only left her some taiyaki for her to snack on when she waved off going downstairs to properly eat dinner.

But even that small period of starvation proved useless when she had spent the last couple of hours stuck on a writer's block. For as inspired as she had been, it proved harder the further she wrote into it. Each time she reread what she had, it only made it all the clearer how superficial it all sounded. It hadn't bothered her too much at first. It was just some lousy contest that she was writing this for after all. But she couldn't help caring now. No matter what it was for, this was still something _she_ wrote. It was a piece she put heart and time into. It was something that—dare she admit—interested her for once. And because of that, it was easily becoming a work of pride for her. Just any half-assed written paper wouldn't do. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it the right way.

And that 'right way' continued to elude her way into the late hours of the evening.

Now at 3:54 in the morning, her stomach rumbled in blatant criticism of her poor health choices. She was dying of hunger which only added to her frustration. And surely gramps had only bought the taiyaki for dinner like he always did when she left him to fend for himself where food was concerned. There wasn't anything in the fridge either since she hadn't gone grocery shopping with how engrossed she'd become working on the dumb article. _How is he still alive after living like this for all these years?_ Letting that be with a hefty groan, Miryoku leaned back in her chair to stare at the dark ceiling of her room for a minute.

"Guess konbini bento it is."

Jumping out of her chair, Miryoku snatched a spare jacket from the floor along with her wallet and quietly sprinted down the stairs of their home, making extra sure that her grandpa was asleep before shoving her shoes on and walking out the front door. Sprinting halfway there, Miryoku felt her chest burn as the crisp winter air entered her lungs finally making her continue in a brisk walk instead. Donning her jacket and pulling the hood over her head, she adjusted her glasses that had slipped down her nose and stared up and ahead through the empty streets of her neighborhood.

It was quiet and peaceful as usual. Despite being a short train ride from the apex of Tokyo, her grampa's rundown house was part of the more dilapidated part of town. More seniors lived around these parts than anything and though it had great dining options, they weren't many places that meritted going without company. Which is why she thanked her lucky stars that a konbini was within a fair walking distance from the house.

Miryoku didn't take long to pick out her bento, some apple juice and assorted candy before heading out with a hefty bag full of snacks in hand. It was while mindlessly walking ahead and struggling to put her wallet away in her back pocket that a chill ran down her spine a moment before a large hand snagged said wallet from her grasp.

"**Hey!" **

The thief didn't spare her a glance. He ran off at full speed down the dimly lit road. It took a moment of grounding herself before Miryoku sprinted after him too with her bag hanging behind her. "Get back here, you asshole!"

But keeping him in sight proved harder than she thought with how badly in shape she was. Soon, Miryoku noticed him getting further and further away and when she thought she'd definitely lose him and her wallet for good, she took a last ditch effort to stop him. Grabbing the bag full of snacks in both hands, Miryoku sprinted forward and hauled the bag and everything in it right at the thief's back with all her might. Though it missed his back which was her intended target, the heavy bag struck him squarely behind his knees and made him lose momentum. Regrettably, it hadn't been enough to make him stop.

_No!_

Just as she thought he'd surely get away, small flashes of red darted past the corner of her vision, the light from the streetlights making their color all the more vibrant as they caught the thief's clothes and shoved him to the ground with unbelievable strength, effectively pinning him in the street for good measure. Miryoku stopped in her tracks, breathing heavy and shallow as she adjusted her glasses again to get a better look of what'd happened. Half her groceries were scattered on the floor, and not far from the thief her wallet itself, but what caught her attention most were the large crimson feathers that pierced through the man's clothes deep into the asphalt street.

"Sorry 'bout that!" The carefree tone that floated above her made her turn skyward just in time to see a blur of red fall a few feet away from her. Miryoku covered her face from the rush of air that fell on her and blinked at the large crimson wings that unfurled as the owner turned to face her.

Amber eyes stared back at her and a satisfied smile spread across the face of the man she had spent the whole day learning about.

"Oh, here," Hawks said, sprinting up to her wallet that was the nearest thing to him and passing it on to her. "Gotta say, you're lucky I heard ya when I did otherwise there'd go your money. Nice hit, by the way, though your groceries might've suffered some casualties."

Miryoku blinked in utter disbelief as the man bend over to readily pick up the snacks that fell out of the plastic bag. Seeing him do this snapped her out of her stupor. Just when she was going to help him pick the rest of the sweets, she got caught off guard by the flurry of red feathers that effortlessly went about picking up the rest. In a matter of minutes, Hawks approached her with an open bag as his feathers deposited the items they retrieved and passed on the full bag back to her with a goofy grin on his face.

"Here ya go."

Carefully, she took it in her hands, thanking him under her breath and watched him from a few feet away as he dealt with the thief. Curious and without knowing, Miryoku mindlessly followed him back to the konbini where he and the cashier took care of calling the police. She honestly didn't know why she stayed behind. But she did, waiting with them for the authorities to arrive. But when they did and she gave her statement about what happened, Miryoku finally decided to head back home when she found him busy talking to the police. A small part of her wanted to talk to him if even for a few minutes. Just a few words to help her out of her writer's block. But that was too much to hope for. Even she knew that. And even if the opportunity had risen, Miryoku would've no doubt spoiled it somehow with her more than lacking social skills.

Decidedly leaving the konbini behind, she stared down at her feet as she walked through the empty streets. Her mind reeled with what just happened despite the quietness that surrounded her. The blur of red that had flashed right before her eyes—it reminded her of lightning, but faster.

Much, _much_ faster.

"Miss, dontcha think it's unsafe to walk by yourself with what just happened to ya?"

Vibrant red blocked her vision for a moment before amber eyes met with hers. Miryoku yelped out and held a hand to her chest from the heart attack that the winged man gave her by appearing out of the blue in front of her. Mumbling under her breath, she kept looking to where she'd left the konbini behind and back to him questioning with a mere look from where the hell he'd come from.

A bubbly chuckle came out of him as he landed before her, his huge wings tucking themselves behind him as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. Leaning on one leg, he tilted his head and grinned, "Sorry 'bout that."

"It's alright," she said. Looking back once more, she stared back at him confused. "Not to be rude but what are you doing here?"

"Oh, right!" The feathers on his wings rustled when he perked up, startling Miryoku a little from the sudden movement. "I came here 'cause I thought you'd want a ride home with the police after what happened."

"I don't need it," she quickly retorted.

"Ya just got mugged though."

"And I'm fine." Miryoku couldn't help being miffed at his insinuation. "I thank you for helping me back there but I'm not that helpless. So thanks, but no thanks about the ride. Besides, my house is pretty close by. I'll be fine getting back by myself."

Hawks' brow furrowed and his nose scrunched up as he frowned. Seemingly at odds with himself, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. Suddenly he smiled that goofy grin back at her again. That didn't bode well for her.

"Then let me walk ya back!"

"No thank you."

Not waiting for his answer, Miryoku sidestepped him and walked off on her own. It didn't take long before she heard the soft flapping of wings following behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she glared back at Hawks who stopped dead in his tracks, hovering a few inches off the floor as he followed after her with a nervous grin.

"Ya don't have to give me that look."

A small tick came to her jaw. "I already said no." She gave him her back and kept walking ahead despite still hearing the soft beating of his wings as he flew behind her. "And besides, don't you have a mugger to report?"

"The cops took care of him, so my job's done."

"Then you should head home yourself. It's quite late to be out and about."

"I could say the same about ya, missy."

"Yeah, well…" When she couldn't come up with anything, heat rushed up her cheeks and ears. Really, how stupidly pity could she be? Regardless of the obvious answer, she doubled down. "I seriously don't need you to accompany me."

"What kind of hero would I be if I didn't escort a lady like yourself?"

"One with too much time on his hands, that's for sure," she mumbled under her breath.

"Ha!" Hawks laughed finally flying beside her, his lower feathers brushing carelessly against her arm. "You couldn't be more wrong, missy."

"You _really_ don't know when to be quiet, do you?"

"It's a gift," he coyly replied.

Miryoku couldn't help but sigh in frustration. Who in their right mind would've thought the youngest hero with an agency of his own, a prodigy of his generation, would be such a handful to deal with?

Thankfully, her house was only a short walk back and Hawks landed just at the foot of the few steps that led up to the front door of her house. Miryoku stepped back and nodded to it as she climbed the last step up, hand already on the doorknob.

"See? Not that far."

He scoffed but that cheeky, lopsided grin never left his face. "It's hard for ya to say 'thanks,' ain't it?"

"No," she rectified, more than peeved about that comment. "I said it before. I also said that walking me back wasn't needed. Quite a waste of your time, actually."

"Eh, that's kinda subjective if ya ask me." Hawks shrugged his shoulders before flapping his wings to get a good few feet off the floor. "Well, have a goodnight, missy." He saluted her with a couple of his fingers, "Be careful on your next late night stroll!"

Miryoku was about to retort at the cheeky remark but before she could, that heap of red dashed out of sight leaving nothing but the faint blur of crimson in her vision. She shook her head as she went inside and quietly headed to her room with all her food. Sitting back behind her computer, Miryoku stared at the screen where her article laid open and half written. But despite wanting to focus, she found herself thinking over and over about their small conversation in those few minutes of a stroll.

She leaned forward to cradle her chin in her hands and reread her article, his words replaying in her head as she concocted an image of the young hero.

Brash. Reckless. Chirpy.

_Precocious sounds better._

"...the precocious man…"

She twirled a strawberry pocky stick in her mouth with her tongue and stopped at the sound of what she'd mindlessly spoken. Letting it sink and liking the sound of it, she bit down on the treat and stretched back before going back to typing furiously at her keyboard.

* * *

**Present Day— Streets of Kyushu**

A yawn escaped Miryoku as she made her way through the empty streets. Though it wasn't terribly late, her neighborhood turned out to be the quiet type. Returning home after that interview, she found herself working late into the day with and without Makoto to arrange her new place a little. Between that and having a few words with the couple of kind neighbors that welcomed her, it took most of the day to finish arranging just the master bedroom alone. But seeing as the two of them had work the next day, she dismissed Makoto, thanking her for the help.

Makoto had squeezed her hands, that grand smile of hers becoming tender as she leaned in to embrace her.

"No need to thank me. You know we'd do anything to help you, Ryo. Enjoy your new home and try taking it easy for a while. You deserve it."

_Take it easy, huh?_ Miryoku doubted that was even possible. Between work and moving in, her days would be rather busy for the next couple of weeks. Well, better busy than preoccupied with worry, she supposed.

Work sounded infinitely better than letting her mind wonder and upset her. Tired as she was though, Miryoku only wanted to sleep. That had been the plan until her stomach rumbled incessantly. And with her fridge empty from the move, she found herself looking up the nearest place to get something to eat. Lucky for her, a konbini was only a few streets away.

"Back to the university diet for the next few days it is." She never understood how she and Makoto survived those months living off of konbini bentos, rice bowls and snacks.

The bell rang above her head when she entered the small establishment. The cashier cheerily welcomed her from his spot on the other side of the register and Miryoku nodded in the young man's direction with a smile before heading down a random aisle.

_Bento or onigiri?_

Miryoku dawdled trying to make a choice when she overheard the bell at the front ring again. Though she ignored it at first, she couldn't well ignore the unmanly shriek that erupted from the front and caught her attention in the quiet store. Instantly, her head snapped back over her shoulder. At recognizing what was happening, she instantly hid behind the nearest shelf.

"Don't try anything funny." The man that had entered brusquely shoved the sharpened knife he had as an arm, most likely activated by his Quirk, at the poor cashier who backed away from the weapon. With the other hand, the man shoved a bag into the cashier's arms who clumsily held it. "Now put all the cash in there, quick!"

Miryoku rolled her eyes before running her hands down her face in exasperation. It just had to be her luck, didn't it? _Why do you do this to me, god?_ She crouched down and stared up at the small mirror that ran along the top of one of the shelves to watch the robbery take its course. It didn't sit well with her, but it wasn't like she could do much. Realistically speaking, her best chance was to wait it out.

_But you're not that weak, are you?_

This was an 'armed' robbery and as a citizen, she _legally _couldn't do anything.

_I'm not using my Quirk._

_Who said anything about using it?_

Her orange eyes blinked at the thought. Helping without using her Quirk? She guessed that was an option. But how the hell was she supposed to do that? It wasn't until she lifted her gaze from off the ground and the shelf of soda caught her attention that an idea popped into her head.

It was a long shot, not mention dumb, but it could work.

Arming herself, Miryoku moved closer behind the aisles as far from the register as she could before crouching down just behind the last shelf that stood in front of the exit to wait. It wasn't until the robber made haste to leave with the bag full of cash in hand that Miryoku snagged her chance. Rushing out after him, Miryuko took a huge breath of air before shouting.

"Hey, asshole!"

The robber turned and before he could do anything, Miryoku threw a large soda she'd taken with her. Instinctively from the warning, the man raised and activated his Quirk, his arm sharpening to an edged knife and cut right through the large plastic bottle, the contents of it splashing all over his face. Miryoku took the small opening and rushed in with the other full bottle and raised it to swing at his head but the robber's hand, having let go of the bag, caught the bottle midair to stop her.

"You little bitch!"

Miryoku jumped back as fast as she could when he swung his knife arm around haphazardly, barely getting nicked on the arm by the blade. Holding her arm with the other, she turned up to see the robber wiping away the soda only to have her dead in his sight.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"On the contrary, _you're_ the one who made a huge mistake hurting a young lady."

It all happened too fast for her to see then.

Flashes of crimson was all Miryoku saw rushing past the corners of her eyes before they caught the mugger by his clothes, pinning him back against the concrete wall of a nearby building and rendering him immobile. Taken aback, Miryoku spun around to find the source and only stopped when the wind around her got swept back by huge crimson wings beating down.

"Oh." Hawks' amber eyes widened a bit when spotting her as he hovered to the floor safely and tucked his wings behind himself. "You're the journalist lady from this morning!"

Stupefied as she was by her ridiculous stroke of luck, it took her a moment to respond. "Y-Yeah…"

"What a coincidence." Without notice, he approached her and reached out for her arm. Instinctively, Miryoku drew it back into the safety of her chest before he could even touch her. Hawks raised his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm just going to check your injury."

"It's just a scratch," she assured him a little too quickly.

"You're not bleeding that much from 'just a scratch'."

"I don't need stitches."

Hawks tilted his head mildly amused by her doggedness. "Wouldn't that be for a medic to say?"

Miryoku opened her mouth ready to argue that point when their banter got interrupted by the cashier from the konbini rushing to them with their cellphone in hand. Apparently the young buck had called the police the moment the mugger and Miryoku had exited the store. By the sound of the sirens and blaring lights, they hadn't been far from the place. Ready to split, Miryoku said 'to hell with food' deciding to walk back home to treat her cut instead. The moment she took a step out of bounds though, a curtain of red lowered right in front of her face and she yelped in surprise, getting a mouthful of downy feathers in her mouth.

"Where'd you think you're going, missy?"

"H-Home," she sputtered, smacking his overgrown wing away from her face.

"Don't think so." Hawks pointed behind him where the police were already taking care of handcuffing the culprit and where a small ambulance had arrived as precaution. "Might wanna take advantage of free help with that _scratch_ of yours."

"Thanks but no thanks." Before Miryoku could even leave, crimson feathers tugged at her jacket pulling her back with a force she didn't think possible of such downy, light things. No matter how many she smacked away, more came and eventually dragged her to the ambulance despite her protests.

"There, see?" His satisfied smirk irked her as he stood by watching her get treated. "How hard was that?"

Miryoku grumbled under her breath but couldn't bring herself to bicker when her cut stung ever the slightest while being treated. It wasn't as bad as she had thought, but the medic did say that it was a good thing that they took care of it now properly than let the injury fester.

With a curt 'thank you' to the medic, Miryoku left the whole issue behind her while the police kept the hero busy. She had already given her statement to another officer while being treated, after all. There wasn't any need for her to stay despite what her grumbling stomach said. She held it for good measure the further she got from the konbini and was thinking that maybe just going to sleep would fight off the hunger when something fell from the sky atop her head. Cursing quote loudly, Miryoku spotted the packaged onigiri as it rolled off from her head just in time to scramble after it before it fell to the floor.

Almost knowingly, she turned skyward to find the winged hero as he hovered closer to her side before landing.

"Cashier boy said that's on the house," Hawks said with a nod at the onigiri she now held. "And thanks for the help."

Miryoku rotated the packaged rice ball in her hands before sighing, a small smile coming to her lips at the kind gesture.

"No good deed, huh?"

And he went ahead and ruined it.

"You don't know when to be quiet, do you?" Miryoku picked up her step to head back home. The minute of pause that gave her hope died pretty quickly when she heard his wings flapping as he flew over once more.

"Say, missy, have we really never met before?"

"Highly doubt it." She had interviewed plenty of heroes through the years in her current company but they were all part of the more unknown crowd. The kind of heroes she liked bringing a spotlight to. Seldom were high profile cases given to her—except when they were, of course. "Also, would you please stop following me?"

"I'm trying to make sure you don't get into anymore trouble on your way home, missy."

"It's a few blocks over," she retorted. Her cheeks puffed up a little in mild annoyance as she mumbled under her breath, "And my name's not 'missy'."

"It was Chimni-san, right?"

Taken aback by the fact that he remembered for a split second, Miryoku's brow furrowed slightly when she turned to eye him over her shoulder. Hawks only held a satisfied smile that irked her further and got her to up her pace.

"Don't look so creeped out." Hawks let out a small chuckle as he hopped on the street, lasting a few moments longer in air every time before hovering completely off of it in the end. "I remember stuff easily."

"I highly doubt that when the journalists that interview you are easily far from a few."

"A few hundred would be right, actually."

Miryoku rolled her eyes as they turned the corner into her neighborhood. From here, she could spot her front yard light that she'd left on.

"My point stands. No one in their right mind remembers a name out of a few hundred for no reason."

"Well," he said rather mindlessly as he hovered on his back, facing the sky and folding his arms behind his head, "I suppose it'd be because I could've sworn we've met before."

"Is this the kind of pick up line used these days?"

This time his laughter resounded more than before, boisterous and a little airy.

"Hardly."

Miryoku finally stopped and Hawks stopped along with her, landing behind her as she stopped in front of her house. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he waited for her to walk through the short frontgate and take the few steps that led to her front door. Turning the key and unlocking her door, Miryoku thought of just going inside without another word but was stopped by her need to give merit where it was warranted.

_He did save you, Ryo._ Why did her consciousness always oddly sound like Makoto at times like these?

It was right though. She couldn't deny it that. Heaving a long sigh, she stepped back to meet his gaze.

"Thank you for helping me back there."

Hawks gave a small bow with his head, "You're welcome." Kicking off, Miryoku held her hair back from her face as the wind kicked up with the beating of his wings as they lifted him off the ground. "Take care when you're out on your next late night stroll, alright?"

With that he left and Miryoku found the peacefulness of silence in her home only disrupted by Junji bounding up to her to welcome her home. She mindlessly ripped the onigiri open and bit down on it as her other hand petted him, her mind wandering somewhere she didn't know.

_Why does this feel like deja vu?_

Distracted as she was with eating and petting Junji, Miryoku failed to see the small stack of boxes that she'd left haphazardly in the middle of the hallway towards the stairs and ran smack into it. The couple of boxes on the top toppled, their contents spilling over onto the ground making both her yelp in surprise and Junji bark out in high alert. Cursing her cluelessness, she wolfed down the rest of her onigiri before going around picking up her things and chucking them all back into a box without a care.

The more she eyed them as she went along picking them up, the more she realized that these boxes must've been her old keepsakes from her time living at her grandpa's. Those boxes had laid mostly unopened when she moved out of his house and she hadn't thrown any of them away when she started packing to move out of her old one. The collection ranged from school prizes to old newspaper clippings to binders of old works of hers. Even an old picture album or two from her college days too. Though reminiscing sounded like fun, she was plenty tired after what happened. With rest in mind, Miryoku was about to head off to bed when Junji trotted up to her with a piece of paper caught in his mouth.

"Oh, thanks, Jun. Such a good boy, helping me clean up." Junji barked giddily, releasing his hold on the paper the moment Miryoku tugged it out of his mouth and started mindlessly petting him with the other hand.

Curious about the lone piece of paper, Miryoku read over it, saying the words lowly under her breath. It was a letter. From JP Weekly. It was five years old. _That's odd._ She hadn't contacted her work to intern there until after she came back to Japan from abroad about two years ago. Why did she have this from them from before that?

"...we thank you for participating in our annual competition…"

_Competition?_ The moment she read further, she froze and suddenly everything made sense.

"_Say, have you and I met before?" "Say, missy, have we really never met before?"_

"...ah, fuck…"

Miryoku crouched down into a ball while holding onto the old letter tightly in her grasp. Junji worried as could be took the few steps forward to stick his head between her folded arms to poke his wet nose against her face. But not even he could dig her out of the hole of embarrassment she was now in.

_How the hell did I forget about this!?_

* * *

**Five years ago—Tokyo**

"It's here! It's here! It's here!"

Miryoku almost choked on her drink the moment Makoto and the rest of their friends burst into their apartment, the former holding an envelope high in her hands. Her chest ready to burst from the excitement, Miryoku dropped everything and ran up to Makoto, jumping in the air to grab the envelope that her friend kept teasingly out of hand.

"Makoto!"

Makoto chuckled before finally giving her the envelope. To her surprise though, Miryoku froze and held it, reading the address of the company that she had entered her article written in beautiful cursive. Makoto held Miryoku by the shoulders as the rest of their friends huddled closer eager to see the results. But when Miryoku took a little too long, Makoto leaned her chin against her shoulder and quietly asked, "Everything alright?"

The eagerness that had shone in her face faded somewhat as worry began to etch itself on her features.

"What if...it wasn't good enough? What if all that hard work really was for nothing?"

A soft smile tugged at the corner of Makoto's lips as she took her hands and placed them over Miryoku's.

"Well, that's not something you can say, is it? Not until you read what it says in here."

Carefully, she helped her rip the envelope open but stopped there. With a long breath, Miryoku took out the letter and read it.

* * *

**A/N: **

**First new story of 2020. I'm happy it's this one, to be honest. **

**Alright, cards on the table. I honestly had no intention of publishing this anytime soon (rewriting that old dgm story was actually something I wanted to do first). But after a chat with some friends, I decided to leave it to a coin toss. They were as excited as I (unexpectedly) was when it landed on tails. So here we are.**

**This will be my second my hero academia story, and though i'll be working on this one in the background while writing for GR and TM, it'll entice me to actually think about it now that's up and running. This first chapter might look somewhat familiar to some of you who're following Birds of a Feather Collection. I did publish it there first. It's taken down now, but i've changed it some from that post. This'll be the new and improved first chapter to IwaWH! **

**Let me know what you guys think of it! I'll be sure to work on the next chapter when I can (i've already got some idea of how it'll go down too). **

**So until then hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next chapter in this new story~**

**\- Evie**


	2. What We Tell Ourselves

**I love you guys. Thank you for liking this story from the start. You're amazing.**

* * *

_**Interview with a Winged Hero**_

**Chapter Two**

_What We Tell Ourselves_

* * *

— _Lying is not only saying what isn't true. It is also, in fact especially, saying more than is true and, in the case of the human heart, saying more than one feels. We all do it, every day, to make life simpler._

_**Albert Camus**_

* * *

**Present day — Hawks Hero Agency**

"Boss, there's been a request from—whoa."

One of Hawks' sidekicks ducked out of the way of the feathers as they traversed the space of said hero's office. They carried pieces of paper with them—documents unearthed after hours and hours of searching through old boxes. Hundreds of documents flew in the air propelled by downy red feathers that swayed back and forth, some waiting patiently airborne while others rushed when beckoned by their owner.

Lounging around midair was Hawks, his back bear of his signature jacket, visors pulled back against his head and earphones resting leisurely around his neck. The feathers he called towards him silently returned with the documents in hand but at mere glance he dismissed them realizing immediately that they weren't what he was looking for. A distinct frown was on his face and his eyes were scrunched in concentration as he skimmed through each individual document only to eventually toss it aside.

The sidekick that entered to almost get a mouthful of feathers and papers cleared his throat a couple of times before resorting to calling out loudly to his boss when there wasn't an answer.

"Boss?"

Red wings twitched at the sudden call a fraction of a second before he turned down to them. His usual smile came back briefly before he lowered himself onto the ground with a nonchalant wave. Even down there though the barrage of documents brought by his feathers continued, his attention divided between the two.

"What's up?" Hawks asked between sparing glances.

"Oh, uh—there's been a request for a team-up from the Lunar Agency."

"From jackrabbit?" Despite making the correct assumption, he refused to give more than a millisecond of attention to his sidekick. "What about?"

"She didn't specify when she put in the request," they began, "only that it was an important case and that she'd get in contact with you later…" Letting it trail off, his sidekick finally let out a long sigh before turning back to Hawks. "You looking for something, Boss?"

"And failing miserably!" His enthusiasm piqued anew now that someone finally inquired about his change in attitude. Without a warning, he shot up into the air again to comb through the countless papers. "I thought for sure I'd have it at home but when I didn't find it, I could only think it'd be somewhere in the office. Do you know where else old documents of mine could be here?"

"Have you asked the others?"

"They gave me these saying it could be here. So far, nothing."

"What about the warehouse? Not all the boxes got taken out when we moved offices a couple of years ago."

"I wouldn't leave something so important in a box that was gonna get lost at a warehouse."

"Mm, my last bet would be Ohno-san then." Almost instantly all feathers stopped in their tracks when Hawks' head shot up to attention at the mention of that name. "Though I'm guessing she was the first one you asked, right?"

At first there was nothing but silence.

Then, suddenly, a gust of wind rushed past them the moment Hawks burst out through his open window to rush down the couple of floors to reach a window he knew very well. As always the blinds were shut tight so that little to no sunlight could go through, but savvy as he was about the person inhabiting the office, Hawks tapped the glass pane tirelessly until the blinds opened. A rather disgruntled expression marred the face of a lady that, by the looks of things, was on the decline in years. Salt and pepper hair was wound tightly into a bun on the top of her head and small wrinkles came to the side of her eyes and around her nose and lips as a small frown curved them downward.

Stern as could be, dark charcoal eyes scowled at him the instant the blinds opened. Hawks smiled cheekily back with a wave of his hand as he hovered outside the window. Seeing no other way to get rid of him, the old lady opened the window but only a crack though. She knew that if she gave him an inch, he'd take the full mile. Surprisingly, he didn't take as much advantage as she thought at first, merely prying his fingers through to get the window opened just a tiny bit more before starting.

"How is the most beautiful granny in the whole wide world doing today?"

"Drop the theatrics, Takami-kun. Why are you interrupting my work so early?"

Hawks chuckled for a slight moment at the directness the old lady took with him. Surely after years of being his PR manager—one provided to him by the Hero Public Safety Commission Office no less—it was something to be immune to. Didn't make it any less amusing however.

"Right." Hawks cleared his throat before turning off the goofy side of himself for a slight moment. "I've been looking for something the whole of today and, well, the fact that I'm here now might tell you a little of how that search has been going." But that silly side of him could only keep its little paws out of the way for the length of that sentence before a pout came to his lips. "Would ya mind using that Quirk of yours and telling me where I can find it, pretty please?"

"No."

"Junko-san, please," he begged slightly, pushing his arms through the slit of the open window now. "I've been searching for this damn paper all night!"

"I am 100% certain that there are far more important matters for you to attend to than some lost newspaper clipping."

"Aha!"

Hawks practically pushed himself inside, something that surprised her somewhat. But it wasn't a hard mystery to figure out after she found one of his feathers having opened the window fully from the inside. Small enough feathers that he'd snuck in beneath the slit of her door when she wasn't paying attention. Without missing a beat, Ohno Junko stepped back to allow him enough room to freely stumble onto the floor of her office in a heap of red feathers. Hawks recovered quickly enough, enthused as he was with Junko's words.

"So you _do _know what I'm looking for!"

Junko sighed begrudgingly and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "The secretaries warned me about your ruckus. I simply deduced the rest."

"That's one hell of a deduction," he added as he got comfortable being cross-legged on her floor. "My guess is that you knew I'd be searching for it. Which brings me to think that I might be right after all about what I was thinking."

"Takami-kun, for as hard as it is for you to believe, you are not difficult to read."

"I'd beg to differ."

"Especially," Junko reiterated not liking the interruption, "when it's about something that's caught your attention. Much like the young lady from your 3pm appointment yesterday did."

The playfulness that he'd been carrying himself with suddenly disappeared and though not turning fully serious, Hawks remained solemnly quiet, taking in what she said as he stood from her office floor.

"Y'know, eavesdropping isn't a good habit, Junko-san."

Hearing that, Junko humphed indignantly with one hand tapping on the top of her mahogany desk. "I'm your private relations manager—I have been since you graduated and formed your agency. You should know by now that your business is my own, especially when it concerns any reporters and tabloids."

"Those girls didn't look half bad," he mildly commented. Remembering the reason he was there, he waved the comment aside quickly. "But going back to what you said before, tell me, did you recognize her? The brunette one, I mean."

Hawks asked her for a very specific reason. Ohno Junko wasn't his PR manager sent by the HPSC for nothing. Her Quirk—Eidetic Memory—despite its commonality in today's superpowered day and age, was rather useful in her line of work. And for any other purposes that Hawks could think of to annoy her with.

Junko's narrowed charcoal eyes stared him down for a moment. His intentions were never clear. She definitely never knew what he was up to if it didn't have to do with the agency or anything the Commission had tasked him to do. These types of moments most of all left her especially puzzled and made her ask herself when the hell she was going to finally retire. He was a headache unto himself. But she surmised that answering such a harmless question wouldn't cause her trouble later on.

Hopefully.

"No, I did not recognize the young lady. Either of them." Junko's brow raised slightly the moment Hawks' wings slumped a bit disillusioned by her answer. The sight brought to mind a very young boy, one that would get visibly upset with himself anytime her colleagues that raised him didn't get the results they thought they'd get. Not wanting for that image to haunt her the rest of the day, Junko opened one of her drawers and plucked from within a particularly old newspaper clipping and showed it to Hawks.

Amber eyes narrowed for a split second before widening and taking the newspaper clipping with renewed joy.

"I knew you wouldn't disappoint, Junko-san!"

Hawks gave her a last 'thank you' with a wave of his hand before dashing out the way he came while holding on tight to the flimsy newspaper clipping that flapped in his hand while he took to returning to his office. Before going inside, he took a moment to take a gander at it. It was just as he remembered it.

Five years ago, a couple months after graduating and officially opening his own agency, a famous newspaper published a column about him. It'd struck him as odd. He wasn't famous by any stretch of the imagination. He was a drop amongst an ocean of heroes much more notorious and better known than himself. And yet this column and more to the point, the winner that had written it, wrote about him back when he had barely entered the scene as if he'd been at it for years on end. They exemplified his rescues and battles like an odyssey and did so lavishly and without once straying from the truth. Junko had brought it to his attention simply for the fact that it spoke so eloquently of him with facts that anybody could have easily gathered from the net. And though she praised it at the moment, it caught Hawks unawares because, outside of being eloquent and lavish, it undermined him in the subtlest of ways.

And frankly, _that_ amused him.

That the one who wrote such a short yet wonderful piece could so subtly point out his shortcomings in the same breath.

Precocious man, they called him, a name that stuck with him to this day.

What caught his attention most—what had him searching endlessly for the damn newspaper clipping through high hell and even asking Junko about it—was how it ended. A question that he had asked himself all those years ago but never quite found the answer to. One that sounded oddly familiar the other day when he was asked exactly it.

"**It's imperious to ask then of this young and bright hero who holds such a bright future ahead of him how such fame, glory and reputation could possibly change or shape him from the upstart of his prosperous career to where he currently is. Or, if such should be the case, that no such change will occur and he will forever remain the precocious man who acts too fast for his own good." **

And the writer's name—or at least the one they'd used—came rushing back to mind when he read it now.

_Saori, huh?_

* * *

**Five years ago — Offices of JP Weekly**

This was a mistake. A horrible, _horrible _mistake.

Though they desperately wanted to come out, Miryoku took one deep shaky breath to restrain the tears that threatened to spill. They weren't so much of sadness as they were of pure deep-seated fury. Just thinking of it made her crumple the letter she'd received from the news company even harder in her hand. The moment she stormed out of their apartment, Makoto had tried stopping her but Miryoku had been too livid to be stopped by anybody. None of her friends who had been there when she opened the letter from JP Weekly knew exactly why she was so angry. The thing was that she hadn't been at first. When she read her letter telling her that she had lost the contest, she was mostly disappointed and sullen with herself. But listening to her own curiosity urging her to see who had won changed that rather quickly.

It was _her _column. _Her _own work. From her colloquialisms to every last period. All of it under someone else's name.

That roaring ire exploded even faster the moment she recognized the person responsible. _That's_ what pulled her trigger in the end. That's when she swore she wouldn't take this sitting down.

She made it to the editorial at its busiest time. People shoved past her at such a neck-breaking speed as they filed in and out of the building that it took Miryoku a moment to gather her bearings when she entered. Spotting the elevator got her sprinting to it as the last few people scrambled to get in. Miryoku held in her breath at the sudden cramped space as she reached out to press one of the buttons. Sunset eyes stared at the changing numbers above the door that came closer and closer to the 5th floor where she knew she'd find who she was looking for.

JP Weekly.

It was one of the most notorious and largest news organisations in all of the country. If you worked at JPW, you were considered the best there was regardless of how small of a position you held. That incentive had been great enticement for Miryoku to at least try entering the contest. Really the only reason why she bothered if she was honest. But she also knew the shady types of deals that went under the table around here. Like everybody else, she heard the rumors of how JPW treated its employees and customers: not by their merit but by the size of their wallets. That the current CEO of the company was a business entrepreneur rather than a journalist or editor himself rumored and known for having dealt with the Japanese mafia of old said more than enough. But Miryoku wouldn't let herself be led by the nose by people who didn't appreciate the hard work and time that went into reporting the truth. She wouldn't let them tear apart one of the few things that she was proud of doing.

Storming into the newsroom's floor flushed red and out of breath, she took to the first person she found walking around like they worked there and asked about the editor-in-chief.

"His office is over that way," the kind secretary told her despite stumbling a bit over her words.

Miryoku didn't allow her time to finish her sentence after she pointed her in the right direction. "Thank you!"

"W-Wait, you can't go in there! There's a meeting going on right now!"

Miryoku didn't listen. Anger didn't even let her think. All she knew was that this was a huge mistake and she'd be damned if it wasn't fixed. Bursting through the doors like she owned the place, the petite seventeen year old froze as eight pairs of eyes stared her down the instant she entered the room. She suddenly felt small—way smaller than usual—and _way_ stupider for letting her emotions take her this far. But when she realized that they were discussing the very reason she had come to their offices in the first place, her fury reignited and got her to slam the letter she'd gotten on the table before them.

One of the men in the meeting rose to his feet abruptly, annoyance and anger mirrored in his dumb old face. "What's the meaning of this?!"

"That's what I'd like to know," she hissed, having at least that much common sense to not go tit-for-tat on a shouting contest with him. "Your company published _my_ work without giving me proper credit and even had the audacity to reward the imposter that stole it."

Quiet chatter rose in the air as the men talked amongst themselves at such accusations. The old man that she now recognized as the CEO shouted above the chattering for security who quickly stormed into the room. Miryoku's resistance lasted maybe a few minutes. These men were double her size and easily took her by her arms despite her shouting. They were about to escort her out when one of the men in the room raised his voice to stop them. When he ordered the burly bodyguards to put her down, they hesitated for a moment before doing as they were told, leaving Miryoku to rub painfully where their hands had roughly gripped her arms.

The man that had spoken rose from his chair and walked over to Miryoku. He easily stood a couple of feet over her, his hair a dark indigo color slicked back to leave in full view striking gray eyes. What caught her attention the most though was how the color of his skin was spotted at places, turning a slightly darker shade than the rest of his fair skin every other second. An unlit cigarette sat between his lips and he bit down on it, twirling the nicotine stick this way and that before raising his brow at her.

"You've got guts bursting in here calling out such outrageous accusations, little girl." Miryoku's cheeks puffed slightly at the name. The man however didn't seem to notice or care, he simply kept that stone-cold stare fixated on her. "You got any proof of what you're talking about?"

"I do." Miryoku fished out one small USB from her pocket and held it up to the only person who seemed to dare hear her out. "Every last draft of it is in here. From start to finish, I wrote 17 drafts before coming to a piece that I was satisfied with. The same one that I turned in to your contest and that so happened to be chosen. Just not under my name."

He plucked the memory stick out of her hands without warning, surprising her quite a bit when he walked over to one of the nearest laptops that they had laid before each of them. Despite their nervous and mindless stammering, the man inserted the memory stick and took a gander at the files opening each and every one as Miryoku stood behind him, her heart hammering like crazy in her chest.

"Are you actually taking such preposterous accusations of a mannerless girl seriously, Koujiro-kun?" The CEO's words reverberated with the same rage his molten cheeks showed as he referred to said man.

"I do when said girl presents quite infallible evidence." The man—Koujirou-san—turned the laptop where he'd inserted the USB and showed all those present what he had skimmed through in the few minutes given.

"T-Those could've been doctored," one claimed rather forcefully. As if thinking his idea ingenious, he grinned smugly. "The reward given to the winner would be enticing enough for someone to come in claiming such dubious things."

"We could easily check for such things here but I'm almost 100% positive they weren't," Koujirou-san assured them with the same stern tone that he'd addressed her with. "The oldest files were created over a month ago. The code doesn't show any signs of manipulation either. As far as I can tell, these are legit." He turned to look over his shoulder at Miryoku, "You said you entered the contest?"

Miryoku nodded cautiously.

Koujirou-san turned back to the men present, eyeing each one separately and all faltering beneath the scrutiny. It amazed Miryoku that despite looking like the youngest out of the bunch of men there, they still cowered under his glance. Eventually it fell on the CEO who despite his best attempts not to still flinched at the cold stare. "Your daughter was the winner, Mr. Chairman. You've had me inspect and better her work enough times that I've come to recognize it. I've read the column and it is quite different from all her previous works. Now I suppose my real question is, which one of you went under my nose and tampered with the results?"

The room became deadly silent then. Miryoku even felt chills run down her spine at the sudden accusation. Koujirou-san hadn't raised his voice once and yet it was obvious that they all feared what he could do with the power he held over them. The chairman, however, wasn't as impressed. Quite the opposite.

"It matters not, Koujirou-kun." Both him and Miryoku turned to the chairman at his words and the blase tone of his words. "The column has been published and the winner with it. My daughter already signed the contract for her internship as well. Regardless of what any of them did, we cannot retract from our public word."

Miryoku's heart sank at those words.

So they believed her. She'd proved her case. But it didn't matter. There wasn't anything they would do to change things now. Her shoulders slumped as Koujirou-san tapped a pensive finger on the mahogany table he leaned on before releasing a long sigh. Without much preamble, he returned Miryoku her USB, dropping it unceremoniously onto her open palms before turning over his shoulder to glance at the chairman.

"We won't change the results. But I am to presume that when I find the culprit behind this, I will have the freedom to do with them as I see fit, correct?"

She felt the atmosphere tense once more at his question, mostly for those who remained seated and that had been so smug about whatever they had done before. The chairman, calmer than before, nodded and gave Koujirou the peace of mind he sought.

"Leave the kid to me," he told security, gently pushing Miryoku on the back to urge her to move towards the door. Dumbfounded and upset in equal measures, she let herself be guided down the five floors and out the building's door, leaving its boisterousness behind in exchange for the city's quiet morning hum.

So immersed in her own numbness was she that she didn't even notice the cab that Koujirou-san had called for her until he opened the door for her to enter.

"Kid." Sorrowful sunset eyes lifted slowly to meet dark gray as he leaned onto the door to block her from entering for that second. "What's your name?"

"Chimni. Chimni Miryoku." Brow furrowed with the oddity and suddenness of the question, "Why?"

"How long have you been writing columns?"

"S-Since middle school." Miryoku sniffled slightly and wiped at her somewhat runny nose with the sleeve of her cardigan. "I-I've been in the school newspaper since middle school and still am in high school right now."

"And this was your first time entering anything for publication?" Miryoku nodded solemnly.

Nodding along with her, he reached into his breast pocket for a card and handed it over to her. Miryoku held it with both her hands and between her thumbs and forefingers as she took a moment to inspect it. JPW's logo was plastered on the top part of it and his name was printed in neat letters along with his job title and number beneath it, _Nagano Koujirou, Editor in Chief of JP Weekly._ Sunset eyes grew wide and she nearly spat saliva over him at the sudden discovery. Luckily, she coughed instead and turned her head away before turning back to him as he spoke.

"If you want to continue in the business, give me a call. I'll find you freelance work that you can hone your skills with and once you're out of high school, I'll have a spot for you at JPW working under me."

Disbelief washed over her at such an outrageous proposition. It was amazing. _Too_ amazing to even be true.

"...You've gotta be fucking with me."

He scoffed at the sudden slip of the word. "Not in the least. Your work was a notch above the rest despite having its own flaws. After going through all the applicants, your column was the obvious choice simply by skill alone. Your work is raw, strongly worded, and not daring to deviate from the truth or mask it. It's forceful and unpolished but that's something that can be worked on. That is...if you truly want to continue in this field."

Miryoku's hold on the tiny business card tightened like the anchor it was.

"I do."

"Good," he said, the hint of a smug grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "A fiery spirit and a spine like yours is what we need this day and age in our journalists." With that said he gave her leeway to enter the taxi and closed the door after she took a seat. He leaned against the open window for a moment longer to give one last word of advice. "And you better get used to that bitterness you're feeling right now. Out here, justice and the truth get trampled by greed and the personal gain of those higher than us. And it's our job to surpass them without outright doing so."

Miryoku could not keep herself from asking.

"How can I do that?"

"By playing their game better than them."

* * *

**Present Day — Offices of JP Weekly. Fifth floor, eighth cubicle on the far left.**

Miryuoku jolted awake the instant a stack of papers plopped down with force against her tiny desk. Mumbling at nothing at first, her sunset eyes blinked at the stack before following it up to the person who'd dropped them onto her desk. Seeing familiar gray eyes and a smartass smirk with an unlit cigarette between it made her groan, disgruntled.

"Rise and shine, kiddo," Koujirou teased before guffawing at the face she gave him. "Late night unpacking?"

"Like you wouldn't imagine," she replied with a long yawn that only made him laugh harder.

Very few people bothered with paying any attention to their editor in chief, especially when he got into his routine of torturing his workers with extra work. Mere glances were all he got from the other employees, something that Miryoku had painstakingly gotten used to during her time working full-time for the news conglomerate. And somehow she still couldn't come to grasp her boss's sense of humor. Running a hand down her tired face, Miryoku eyed the documents that took hold of all the free space that her small desk gave her in the already tiny cubicle.

"Did they finally find out about the mad scientist debacle?" she groggily asked in a low volume.

Koujirou scoffed. "They would've fired you on the spot. So no, that's a secret I'm taking to the grave, kid." He patted the top of the documents, a pile high enough for him to easily rest his arm comfortably on top of. "Guess again."

"Demotion? Karma?" Koujirou shook his head. With some more thought, Miryoku blanched. "Wait, this isn't because of the broken coffee machine, is it? Because whatever you heard, it wasn't me."

"This doesn't have to do with—wait, it was _you _who broke the coffeemaker last week?"

Miryoku cleared her throat and laughed it off before wrapping her arms around the pile to bring it closer. "S-So! What's all this for, Koujiro-san?"

"It wasn't punishment but I'm starting to think you deserve it now." There was no more hiding her guilt but luckily Koujiro let it go for the time being and patted the pile one last time. "This, my dear girl, is your paperwork from this past month."

"Oh, don't tell me I screwed up again." Though she meant to say it under her breath, that she stood up so abruptly to inspect it made it come out rather forcefully. Clearing her throat again, she eyed the first couple of them before furrowing her brow. "Wait, everything's in order. What's the problem then?"

"None whatsoever...except for the fact that you forgot to file it electronically. _Again_." Koujirou then grabbed the entirety of the pile and dropped it onto the recycling box underneath her desk. It fell with a resounding _smack_ that got Miryoku flinching. Something not helped in the least by the mention of a mistake that tended to happen rather often.

"That can't be. I had a—" But looking up at her desktop monitor for the bright neon pink sticky note she'd posted the past month to keep this exact debacle from happening again made her freeze at finding the edges of said monitor rather bear. Miryoku searched about in a panic under and over all the mess in her desk before finally finding it underneath her keyboard with a dreadful expression. "...reminder."

"All the good that did." Koujirou, with a simple nudge, moved the pile further in front of her and brought it even more to her attention. "Sorry to say you'll have to do this by the end of the week, Miryoku."

_End of the week?!_

Instead of panicking, Miryoku took a shaky breath and tapped her nails against her desk to attempt to calm that rousing panic. "It's..._doable_. Thank god Ito-san isn't a complete mess of a writer."

"Speaking of Ito, you're gonna have to check her work and edit it to my standards by Wednesday. I want that on my desk first thing Thursday so that we can publish it with the rest of the works before the Billboard Gala on Saturday."

Miryoku's mind ran a mile a second and ended up bunched up at the end from that.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, kid." Scratching one of his dark-skinned fingers against another dark patch on his cheek ignited his thumb with a small red ember. Before he had the sense of lighting his cigarette though, he put out the tiny flame and grimaced down at her. "The Hero Billboard Charts ain't something we can fall behind on. Not before, during or after. You know this."

Indeed she did.

She let out a drawn out sigh as the panic got replaced by stress ten times worse. This was a biannual speech for her, mostly because, out of the few people in charge of reporting, she was the most vocally against putting so much emphasis on those rankings. As far as the whole of Japan was concerned, the top three spots rarely changed anyways and the remaining in the top ten were just shuffled around between the same people in the end. But Koujirou's motto always rang true whenever she complained, 'it's news to someone somewhere'. And so long as that stayed true, they were bound to report on it. No matter how banal Miryoku thought it was.

Thankfully, Miryoku had been put in charge of the team reporting post-event and the subsequent gala that happened to commemorate the occasion for the past two years. She had been nowhere near the infamous crowds that gathered there since she came to work in JPW and she thanked her lucky stars for that blessing.

_A small bright side._

Jingling suddenly brought her attention away from her scattered train of thought and back to the present. In front of her now was a lanyard with several enameled cards with her picture, name and occupation typed on them alongside JPW's logo. Instinctively, she took them in hand but couldn't keep from blinking owlishly at them and back at Kojirou a couple of times.

"And these?"

"Journalist badges for the Billboard event and gala."

Her brain came to a screeching halt and took a little too long to reboot then. Long enough to incite a nervous chuckle out of her as she robotically returned them to him.

"There must be a mistake then. I don't attend either of those." But when Kojirou refused to take them back and only showed her pursed lips and a raised eyebrow, her blood ran cold at the insinuation. "Tell me you're joking."

"Can't say I am."

"I'll buy a new coffeemaker for the office. I won't ever forget to file my paperwork again. I'll never guilt trip you into giving me a choice in my work again. So please, _please_ don't make me go."

"Sorry, kiddo, there's no haggling your way out of this one. You're attending the Billboard and gala this year to report on them." He let out a small scoff, "Maybe this'll help you _not _to forget to file your paperwork three months in a row."

Miryoku could've screamed. But she kept a tight lid on those raging emotions and instead just let a painful squeal through pursed lips that brought another bout of laughter from out of Kojirou.

"Relax, Miryoku. You'll do just fine. I trust you're capable enough to do it."

_That makes one of us._

But she didn't retort. Not this time. Instead she decided to wallow in her despair silently and simply gave a tight-lipped mockery of a smile before nodding. With that, Kojirou left her cubicle and almost instantly, her forehead plopped onto her keyboard in frustration. Her monitor lit up like a Christmas tree with opened windows in response to the multitude of keys being pressed down simultaneously.

"Whoa there, you're gonna run your poor computer up the wall like that. And that'll be record time seeing how we put them through maintenance last week."

Groaning under her breath but knowing they spoke the truth, Miryoku lifted her head and rubbed at her forehead before meeting the quirky expression of one of the few people that she considered friends in this office.

"Tell me you didn't just hear that, Hoshiko."

Hoshiko pursed her lips and nodded. "You mean if I heard you get your ear chewed off by Koujirou-san as he does monthly because of paperwork? Why yes, I did." Suddenly, her friend's overly dramatic side shined when she pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and feigned being faint. "And your punishment is to attend not only the Billboards but also a highly private gala with tens of hundreds of famous heroes from all over Japan! Oh, the humanity!"

"If you're gonna mock me, drop the theatrics and tell it to me straight, Hoshi."

"I am," she replied with a smile as she quickly returned to normality. Giving Miryoku a pitiful smile, she patted her back a couple of times in a small attempt to comfort her. Hoshiko leaned quickly over to the next cubicle and tapped someone's shoulder, "Yo, Koyanagi. Did you hear what trouble our little star got 'cause of her usual mishaps?"

From the other side of the cubicle, Miryoku spotted the bright orange head of another coworker and friend, Koyanagi, springing up as a mocking grin split across his face.

"Loud and clear, Momose." He sprawled his arm on the edge of the small wall that separated their workplaces to lean into the conversation. "Nagano-san truly knows how to hand it to ya though. The Billboard and gala are hell for any reporter who doesn't know the rundown of things."

"Don't leave me hanging, Koyanagi," Miryoku pouted and smacked at his arm hard enough to send it towards his side. "You've been to it. Care to give me that so-called 'rundown'?"

"I would if I still didn't remember the lunch you stole from me three months ago."

"It was an honest mistake! And I paid you back for that already, you asshole."

"Honest mistake, my ass." Koyanagi turned to Hoshiko. "Was my tupperware different from hers or not?"

Hoshiko tapped her cheek pensively for a second while Koyanagi smacked away at the hand signals that Miryoku tried sending her. Finally her friend perked up with a genuine smile that belied her intentions.

"Nope! Totally different!"

"You guys suck."

The laughter that burst from her coworkers dissipated a little of her stress as the giddiness reached her a bit. If Miryoku liked anything about the few friends she had it was that they knew when to cheer her up and how. Whether it was Koyanagi and Hoshiko at work or Makoto and her other friend outside of it, they were all godsent in her opinion. Just as she was about to ask them out for lunch later on to maybe help her forget about the horrid work she had piled up, her words caught in her throat when the sudden loud _smack_ of paper against the top edge of their cubicles surprised them. All three turned wide eyed at the petite figure that so rudely caught their attention and met a pair of peeved pink, almost red eyes that were perfectly framed by cream-colored fringes.

"You all have far more important work to be doing than chat if I'm not mistaken." From the small aisle that separated the cubicles from the rest of the office, a very familiar and irritating woman chastised them with a rolled up magazine in one hand and a rather expensive looking handbag in the other. "I would get to it on the double if I were you lot." When no one answered, she snapped back at them and smacked the edge of the cubicle again. "Go on now. Chop, chop."

Though Hoshiko and Koyanagi cowered a little knowing the petite woman's power in the company, Miryoku sent her a dry look before spitting out her mind without a care.

"And if I were you, I'd probably get started on that article for the Billboard Charts that is due before Friday." Miryoku raised an eyebrow while giving her an aloof expression to the petite woman's sudden shock. "One I'm sure you haven't even started, right, Saori?"

Saori's cheeks reddened at the accusation. She huffed as if wanting to retort but when Miryoku only leaned forward with folded arms on the edge of the cubicle and chin resting on them, she only humphed before storming off. The three watched her leave, two with mild caution and the other with great indifference and a smidge of satisfaction.

"Death doesn't scare you, does it?" Hoshiko hissed back while childishly blocking the view of her face with the clipboard she'd been carrying around.

Miryoku could do little other than shrugged her shoulders apathetically. "She doesn't scare me. Never has, never will."

"I'd say." Koyanagi idly passed her some documents to look over, speaking to her as she skimmed through them rather quickly. "Guess it's true when they say spite is a great motivator. Not to mention that your grudges are a legendary thing for sure. How long has it been? Three years? Four?"

"Five years and 5 months but who's counting."

She was. She counted them. All because this wasn't something she bothered hiding from those who knew her.

Hanazawa Saori, the daughter of the current CEO of JP Weekly, had been her friend once upon a time back in their early years of high school. She, Makoto and her had been a trio that underwent the usual trials and tribulations any hormonal teens would face and did so with style and perseverance. All three had been part of the school newspaper though not at the same time. Saori had been a rather meek thing back then held under the constrictive thumb of her overbearing and demanding father who had only years prior obtained his position as CEO. Because of the sure position he could have for her in JPW, he'd been forcing her to pursue a journalistic career, something that although hadn't quite interested her at first as she had told them once was something she grew fond of after joining Makoto and her a few times to club activities. Or more like the times that Makoto dragged her along while Miryoku had no qualms with it so long as she wouldn't interfere in their work. Slowly, though, and after Saori joined the club, the three grew close and soon enough became friends.

It wasn't until that fateful day of her third year that it all changed. All precipitated when she returned from JPW after fighting the losing battle of rescuing her stolen column.

One that Saori plagiarized.

Miryoku felt guilty at first after that rejection, thinking that if she hadn't been running late to a certain appointment, she would've been able to drop off the manuscript herself instead of having to rely on Saori to deliver it. But there hadn't been anything to distrust her for before that fateful backstabbing. That fact made it easier to let go of that self-loathing. Not quite so the anger, though. Especially when Saori completely denied the claim to her and Makoto's faces.

Just thinking about it made Miryoku fume with fury. It had been like talking to a wall. That or her head had been shoved so far up her ass by her father that she refused to admit something so blatantly obvious.

Regardless of the reason, the one action had irrevocably broken their friendship. Though Makoto tried to remedy the situation, it didn't turn out well in the end. Quite the opposite. It only got worse after Miryoku went to college and decided to take Koujiro-san up on that part-time gig. The mere fact of having to see Saori everyday working the internship she won with _her_ writing only added more fuel to the fire. Miryoku tried her best to dissuade her anger though and channeled it on getting petty wins instead. Things like being Koujiro's prefered journalist and being able to talk smack to Soari whenever she wanted to were good examples of those. The perks of being able to scandalize her position by simply letting the whole office know how she got it in the first place.

The world might not know but damn it all if she wouldn't shout it to them given the chance.

When remembering something Koyanagi had just said, she chuckled. He was certainly right about one thing. She knew damn well how to hold a grudge.

"Chimni-san!"

All three of their heads snapped up like groundhogs coming out of their holes at the sound of her name. It wasn't until the floor's secretary barely came into view as she turned the hallway that Miryoku blanched completely at what she held in her hands.

"Oh, what pretty flowers!" Hoshiko ran up to meet their floor secretary who handed them to her.

"The delivery boy just came in and dropped them off." Once the bouquet was in another's hands, the secretary procured a small enveloped note. "Didn't say who they were from. And the card doesn't have a name from what I saw either."

"Did you read it?" Miryoku asked, a bit panicked.

The woman shook her head. "I know better than to be nosy."

Miryoku took the small envelope in between her fingers while trying to stop the shaking of her hand. Thanking her and apologizing for sounding so rude was enough to get her on her way. She fiddled with the small enveloped note, her eyes never straying from the bouquet Hoshiko held in her hands as her mind ran through what to say.

"You must be getting quite popular," Koyanagi joked. "This is, what, the fifth one these past two weeks? Geez, the guy must be the blandest out there if he can't think of anything else to give you."

"Well, I think they're beautiful," Hoshiko huffed with puffed cheeks before turning to Miryoku with a sweet smile. "Want me to put them in a vase for you?"

_Think, Ryo, think…_

When Koyanagi's comment ran through her head for the hundredth time an idea finally arose. Miryoku let out a small chuckle, small enough so that her nervousness wouldn't show.

"K-Koyanagi's kind of right. Flowers do lose their meaning after getting them so often." She patted Hoshiko's hand doing her best to avoid touching the bouquet. "Say, want to keep these, Hoshi?"

Hoshiko mulled it over for a bit before giving a nonchalant shrug despite the hint of a smile on her face. "Well, if you don't want them, don't mind if I do!"

With Hoshiko gone to put her flowers in a vase, Koyanagi returned to his cubicle and to his work. That finally left Miryoku alone as she hunched back down to hide behind her thin walls. Instead of returning to work immediately though, her fingers idly turned the envelope in her hand as her mind raced with thousands of thoughts.

But no matter how long she thought about it, she kept arriving to the same conclusion.

_Don't._

Without pause after making up her mind, she ripped the enveloped note in half and tossed it in the bin. Soon enough she went about starting the month's worth of filing to get her mind off of things, not noticing how every so often she would rub the base of her left ring finger.

* * *

**Later that evening— Fashion boutique, 'Atelier'. **

"Y'know, when they told me you put in a team-up request, I thought it'd be more of a go beat up bad guys 'round your neighborhood or something." Playfully, Hawks leaned forward on the chair he sat backwards on, arms folded over the top of it as his amber eyes met bright red through their reflection on the mirror in front of them. "Suit shopping was definitely somewhere on the top of my list though."

The Rabbit Hero, Miruko, let out a bout of laughter all the while putting on the silver dress jacket over the dark blue suit piece she wore. Carefully, she pulled her long silver tresses out from beneath the jacket's back before tying it up loosely in a low ponytail and posing carelessly in front of the three-paneled mirror that stood poised deep in the boutique.

Miruko smirked at herself before looking down at him. "Hey, my request was legit! But that's not here nor there. Besides, just because your suit is ready for the gala doesn't mean you can't come with me to get the details done on mine."

"We do have a job, you know," Hawks commented teasingly, raising his hand to let his chin rest on his palm.

"Other people have got it covered." She posed a few more times before turning back to Hawks and smacking him on the shoulder without warning and earning a jerk from his wings. Not expecting it, his hand buckled and his chin fell forward with it, making him chuckle a bit at the gesture. "Plus, I dare you to tell me to my face that you really want to go on night patrol today."

Hawks responded with a toothy grin and a superfluous, "Of course." It only really got her to laugh again a second before she called out to the seamster.

He watched from afar as the middle-aged man took note of the little details that Miruko pointed out. Soon, though, he grew bored of it. Abhorring such tediousness, his attention ambled a couple of times until he noted a small pin that Miruko had placed to one side along with the rest of her clothes. It was a funny looking pin of a cartoon bunny with a bright pink cap on their ears and a white flower on one of them. Hawks mindlessly picked it up from where it laid on top of her clothes and inspected it under the light. It was definitely scratched up and old. Some of the enamel had peeled off from exposure, it seemed, because parts of the color were beginning to chip away and leaving the simple bronze beneath exposed.

"Hey!" A quick hand snatched the small pin and brought his attention back to Miruko. Said hero was huffing mad and more than a bit peeved as the seamster trailed after her with pins still held dangerously out in the open. "Didn't your folks teach ya not to touch other people's things?"

_Hardly anything, actually._ Quieting the cynic in him, he cracked a smile while apologizing.

"My bad, my bad. The thing just looked a bit childish for you to be carrying around. Especially with it looking like it's seen better years."

"It was a gift."

Amber eyes widened a bit in recognition.

He knew that tone from her. Countless drunken nights after a few years of knowing each other wouldn't let him forget the kind of tone she took when talking about a certain person. He didn't know their name—never cared to actually ask—but he knew her by the nickname Miruko would call them by: snow bunny. Or the one he personally gave them, the one that got away from her. They'd been together when she'd been about to open her own agency a few years after graduating but, from what he could gather, her partner broke it off between them. He didn't know the details apart from the fact that them being five years apart kinda had something to do with their reason to end things with Miruko. And to this day, that relationship clung to the rabbit hero and affected her to this day. It was the only explanation that he could garner from her still keeping such a childish thing as a pin as keepsake from a past relationship.

"Why do you keep that thing if it's painful to even look at?"

"Shut your trap."

"Doesn't it?" Hawks teased, a little curious as to what the answer could possibly be. "I mean, it's been five years already and you're still clinging to them like they could come back into your life at any moment."

"It's not like I don't talk to her anymore, you dodo."

That made him reel back and blink a couple of times. "You still talk to them?"

Miruko shrugged her shoulders as she got helped from the seamster with carefully removing the pinned suit jacket. "She ended things nicely and wasn't against it when I contacted her a few years back. It kinda slowed when she said she was getting married and I haven't heard much from her since but even with her fiancé in tow, she hasn't left me out to dry."

"You consider her a friend?" Hawks asked in disbelief.

"She's there when you're too damn busy for one."

_Can't blame you there._

Despite backing off as of recently, the Hero Public Safety Commission was starting to get riled up again for some reason. That he didn't quite know why—_yet—_spoke volumes as to how much under wraps they still were. But frankly, the less they bothered him, the better. It'd give him some free time to enjoy...after the charts and gala were over anyway. Remembering the events that loomed over him got Hawks to let out a long tiring sigh as he waited for Miruko to change back into her own clothes. Good thing they'd agreed to go have a few beers after this shopping spree she dragged him through.

"I'll wait for you at the front of the store!"

Hawks didn't even wait for her reply before he was already halfway there. He met the seamster and owner of the boutique with an amicable smile and went about aimlessly ambling through the front when the entrance's bell jingled. There hadn't been much reason to put it any attention, at least not until a high-pitched squeal came out of someone behind him. Red feathers ruffled at the way the sound pierced his ears but he hid the slight uncomfortableness well enough to turn to meet what he knew he'd find behind him: a fan.

Automatically, he switched to his charismatic self and smiled at the young woman who came in accompanied by a much older gentleman. By mere looks, Hawks bet it was either her father or grandfather, though in this day and age who knew honestly.

"Father, it's Hawks."

Though it was quietly muttered, his sharp ears and even more so his sensitive feathers caught the vibrations that were a clear telltale of her words. Unprompted, the man let out a low chuckle before turning to Hawks with a broad smile. The man seemed somewhat familiar from somewhere. It was odd but it certainly piqued his interest.

"My, what a surprise to find one of Japan's finest heroes at such a place. Will say that we appreciate your work, Hawks. You keep my company well fed with stories all year 'round with your heroics. Truly, you've done JP Weekly a grand service since your debut. And my daughter here is quite the fan, I might add."

_What a plug in._

Made sense why he seemed familiar now. In his search for the damn newspaper clip that morning and whole of the afternoon, he'd looked into the company. Most likely where he'd seen him. The woman, though, was a whole other thing. Without batting an eye, he turned towards her and gave her a quick look. Petite even for him, her light blonde hair was swept to one side by a ponytail and large reddish pink eyes stared back at him starstruck. Her being the daughter of JPW's CEO was clear as day by her attire and the way she carried herself.

_Prim and proper as they come._

The young woman gave a bow and smiled meekly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hawks. I'm Hanazawa Saori."

His feathers perked a bit at the name. It couldn't be…could it?

"The pleasure's all mine. Gotta say, you've got quite the unique name there. Are you by any chance also a journalist in your father's company?"

"W-Why, yes! I am." She lit up like a lightbulb then, cheeks molten red and all. "Have been interning since highschool before becoming a fulltime employee."

"Wow, that's quite impressive." Though he hated toeing around the issue, he knew that bringing it up right away would be odd. A part of him, however, couldn't quite keep itself restrained and got his mouth moving before he could think about it. "You wouldn't be the same 'Saori' that wrote that one article about me years ago, would it?"

Her pink eyes shot open for a moment and all sense of elation she'd shown vanished like someone had snapped the giddiness from her. The sudden change took him by surprise, and though she clearly tried to recover without calling attention to herself, it was far too late. The way she stumbled with her words for the first few words made him all the more suspicious until she spoke.

"...that would be me, yes. I wrote it for a contest."

_Odd._ It wasn't hard for him to hide his confusion behind a smile despite there being plenty of it from all that he saw that contradicted her words.

"Well, it was quite the column, I'll say. Helped propel an image that follows me to this day."

The meek smile she gave this time was very different from the one she'd started out with. This one seemed a lot more demure. Something that her averting her eyes only added to.

"I'm flattered but...it really wasn't that big of a deal."

"But it was darling!" The way her eyes grew wide and panicked when her father spoke up was something he easily caught too. "Individually as well as unanimously chosen by each of my staff even when all entries came in anonymously. Quite the feat at such a young age. I daresay she resembles such a prodigy as yourself, Hawks. With both having such talent in their line of work, it's quite impressive."

"Quite indeed," he agreed but hid the bit of skepticism that grew with every word that spilled out of them.

Interrupted as they were by the seamster, Hawks found their conversation cut off abruptly as they were given neatly packaged clothes. Mr. CEO turned to him as he helped his daughter with her boxes to quickly shake his hand as farewell.

"It was quite a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hawks. As things stand now, you might see my daughter around during the Billboard Charts and the gala as well."

"Surely a journalists job never ends." The blase tone of his joke didn't seem to reach the old man as they both gave curt nods after their departure. The father was as pleased as could be while his daughter seemed to writhed behind a meek and shaky smile.

The front door's bell rang with finality to signal their leave and with it, Hawks clearly heard the obvious sigh of relief that came from the seamster. Curious, Hawks couldn't help asking.

"I imagine having such important customers like them is tough."

"I'd say, though not for the reasons one might think." It impressed Hawks a bit how acquiesced the old seamster was with his reply. _Must be quite the job then._

"Mm? What would those be then?"

The seamster's mouth moved one way then the other, obviously pondering whether or not to open his mouth and say something. Luckily for Hawks, there wasn't much he needed to do to have the seamster spilling his hardships out.

"Surely you must've heard the rumors going around about Hanazawa-san's dealings with the mafia."

Red feathers perked with mild interest though nuanced for the old man's sake. "Mafia? Haven't those guys been old news for a while?"

"One would think so, right?" The seamster peeked about to make sure they were alone before leaning forward over the register. "Word around says that there's still some dealings under the table with the rich and famous who can afford it though. Hanazawa-san being one of them. Something that sounds more plausible if you believe the rumors about his gambling problems." Heaving another sigh, he retreated back behind his counter and shook his head with a mulling expression on his face. "He's a loyal customer but his comings and goings really bring a tad bit of bad press to my shop."

Before he could inquire any further though, his feathers trembled at the rushing air that came with Miruko's sudden jump.

"All done!"

Hawks stood back to let Miruko jump from out the back of the store to meet up with the seamster for details. Though the conversation was left at that, he couldn't stop thinking what exactly would have such people as those with seemingly everything they could possibly want stooping as low as to deal with the scraps left behind from the gangster years. But that pondering lasted at most a minute when Miruko snatched him out of the store once her order was done and over with. He dismissed it with a mere shrug and followed after the hyperactive rabbit to a nearby dinner for an early dinner before patrol.

_Wonder if they have beer there._

* * *

**Same Evening — Kyshu, Chimni Household**

"How is this remotely possible!?" Hangers with clothes split right in half as Makoto peeked at each with a diligent eye. With the brief glance however, she heaved one of the longest and heaviest sighs ever. "You own no clothes whatsoever!"

The biting of the top of a pen was interrupted rather abruptly the instant those words reached Miryoku's ears. Her focus broke away from the desktop monitor that sat atop her desk at one corner of her room for a second to glance at Makoto from behind red-rimmed glasses.

"What are you babbling on about? My clothes are right there."

"You have nothing that's even close to formal here!"

Sunset eyes, now more vibrant without brown colored contacts to dull their color, rolled so hard that they almost went to the back of her head. Ignoring Makoto for the time being, Miryoku once more got comfortable in her chair as she sat before her monitor crossed legged. The stack of papers she'd brought from the office mocked her as they sat at the far end of her desk while a smaller, more digestible stack sat on her open lap for easy access. Miryoku hated bringing work home. But desperate times called for..._whatever the hell this is._ Certainly not desperate if she thought about it. Even in three days time, she was able to finish such work if she stayed a few extra hours behind at the office. But with the rather unfortunate news that she'd be attending the billboards and gala that weekend, there was honestly no time to stay behind and do things her way. Especially now when she had to worry about her attire and how on earth to deal with the crowds and heroes in attendance.

Thankfully, she had Makoto for such emergencies.

Her past experiences with Captain Celebrity and her year out in America a few years back gave her the expertise that Miryoku so desperately needed at the moment.

Junji's deep bark resounded in her chest despite him being far enough while laying on her bed. It was loud enough to make her jump with how out of it she'd been thinking of what a mess of a situation she was currently in.

"I'm with you, Jun," Makoto humphed audibly. "She has _nothing_ useful here."

"My clothes are fine."

"For a stroll down Ikebukuro maybe."

Miryoku rolled her eyes again and rolled her chair back to have her raised brow clearly in view for Makoto. "You're such a drama queen."

"Am I?" Makoto quickly rummaged through her closet and yanked out the first shirt she found. The somewhat oversized white t-shirt only had the decal of a tired egg yolk climbing over its eggshell with a speech bubble that read 'whatever' on it. Junji growled at the shirt that Makoto held which made her raise her own brow in defiance. "'Cause Gudentama begs to differ."

"I won that at the arcade!"

"Years ago!" Makoto interjected before pulling out another t-shirt that although more fitting, wasn't any less childish. "And My Melody ain't cutting it either."

"Hey, that one's a keepsake. I don't even wear it anymore."

Makoto humphed still clearly peeved as she pulled out her entire wardrobe one by one only to reject it and toss it on the bed. Junji yelped in protest when the first couple landed on him until he decided to jump off and go lay down on his own bed next to Miryoku's desk. Peeved as she was, Miryoku watched Makoto from her place as she made a mess of her room. _Not like it wasn't a mess already._ Good thing she picked up some before Makoto got here or she would've spent the better half of the afternoon cleaning instead of working.

"I can't believe you." Her friend's shoulders slumped comically after having emptied her closet completely and stared defeatedly at the pile of clothes. "You're _so _not prepared for this."

"I told you I called for a good reason," Miryoku said mindlessly while going back to typing away at her keyboard. "You're good with these sorts of things."

"Good, yes, not a miracle worker, Ryo." Shaking her head, Makoto fished out her phone from her back pocket and quickly dialed a number.

Curious at the sudden action, Miryoku tilted her head to one side while leaving her work aside for a minute. "Who're you calling?"

"Reinforcements 'cause you need them—hey, you, how was your day?" Miryoku watched as her friend talked with the other person, exchanging pleasantries here and there before getting to the point at hand. "Yeah, listen, real sorry about calling you so late but I need some help with Ryo. Specifically in the fashion department."

Miryuoku didn't bother listening to the rest of the conversation. It wasn't like she could listen in on it, anyway. But by the sound of it, her problem would be solved one way or another. Scrambling through her paperwork for another twenty minutes to wait on that promise though made her stumble onto something she'd forgotten about after all the work she'd been given that day: the print out of the letter. Her mood sank at the sight of it and she picked it again to read it through out of habit.

The same emotions that accompanied her throughout the day returned once more. But instead of ravaging her with rage, they stung and pained her. This letter lied to her all those years ago and now it hurt her. Something she had inadvertently put so much sweat and heart into and that had turned into one of her best pieces before she went pro...and it was taken from her.

Not just by one single person but by a whole slew of people who allowed this injustice.

_And now I work for those people._

Miryoku would be lying if she said she hadn't thought of taking revenge on them. There had actually been a plan in her mind. Though not something that would hurt them, she had planned on turning them down if they asked her to work for them after Kojirou went through with his word of training her and helping her gain status as a journalist. But after working with him and experiencing the honesty and dignity with which most of them carried themselves, she couldn't see herself refusing. It was a great place to intern and work in but the rotten bunch of eggs that didn't allow her to work comfortably made it hard to keep the peace. And more often than not, it got her to bump heads with her higher ups. Miryoku was already on the red after quite a few mishaps not counting her current predicament. As things stood, she could guess her superiors only had so much patience left.

_It's always my way or the highway, ain't it?_

She chuckled incredulously knowing full well that such a thing wasn't possible. When it all came down to it, she really had no power in what she did. All she could hope for was to get justice for those who needed it and give voice to those who couldn't speak up for themselves.

The ringing of her doorbell and Junji's subsequent barking snapped her out of her deep thoughts. Leaving the letter behind, Miryoku chased after Makoto who rushed to the front door. By the time she got there, sunset eyes were wide as could be as a familiar snow white peppered red head poked from the bunch of clothes that popped out of a box she was holding. Gray eyes hidden behind small glasses brightened and a smile spread across her face at the sight of Miryoku.

"Ryo-chan!"

"Yumi?"

Surprise and delight mixed with Miryoku's expression at seeing Todoroki Fuyumi as she made it into her living room with Makoto helping her put down the bunch of clothes she'd been holding. Both women ran to each other squealing in delight and hugging the daylights out of each other the moment they met up halfway. Makoto watched from afar with a smile on her face and held back Junji who, after having gotten over his need to protect Miryoku from the stranger, now sat excited and waited on his turn to join in. The two held each other at arms' length before hugging once more.

"God, I haven't seen you in almost half a year!" Miryoku voiced without a tinge of the sadness that such thought would usually bring. "I missed you so much."

"I know, I missed you so much too!" Fuyumi finally released her and let Miryoku guide her to her living room to sit. "How have you been? I was so worried when I heard what happened with—"

"I'm fine, Yumi." Miryoku didn't want to interrupt her but she really didn't want to hear what she was about to say either. "I'm getting over it slowly." _Very slowly._

"Yes, Makoto-san told me as much." She chuckled and held onto Miryoku's hands tightly in response. "But that aside, I meant to come sooner. I was actually going to surprise you a couple of days ago and come help you unpack but something came up at work."

"Don't worry," she assured her, "I'm glad you're here now."

"And you're sorely needed as well, Fuyumi."

Both turned to Makoto who easily carried the box of clothes Fuyumi had brought with her into Miryoku's room. They followed their eccentric friend in, Fuyumi following Makoto as she unloaded the clothes on her already loaded bed while Miryoku took back her seat in front of her computer. Junji tore into the box while Fuyumi and Makoto laid out the bunch of dresses she'd brought with her.

"So, Makoto-san didn't really specify what the dresses were for, aside from the fact that I needed to bring them with me. What's going on?"

Miryoku sighed as Junji, having finished terrorizing the box, came over and clung onto her for some belly rubs.

"I got stuck with reporting for the billboard charts and gala for JPW."

"That's exciting," Fuyumi chipped in sounding delighted about it.

"Not as much as you might think," Miryoku assured her. "Especially when according to Mako, I've got nothing to wear for it."

"You don't."

"I have nice dresses."

"Not nice enough for such a thing as Japan's Hero Billboard Charts, you don't." Makoto skimmed through the dresses separating them quickly into piles. "And you have got to be presentable for this."

Miryoku rolled her eyes but smiled back at Fuyumi, "Anyway, since I moved, I've got no money to spare on nonessentials. So when we didn't find anything that met Mako's standards, she thought of calling you up, I guess."

"I see," Fuyumi said airily with her fingers resting on her cheek. "Well, in that case, I think I have a few that could fit the occasion."

"That you do."

The two once more turned to Makoto at her words but before she could land her sight on her blackhaired friend, a pile of clothes occluded her vision and left her babbling out curse after curse at Makoto for the sudden scare. Once she made her way out, Miryoku scowled at Makoto, something that didn't seem to faze her in the least as she plucked Miryoku out of her chair and into the adjacent bathroom.

"Now change!"

It wasn't like she could argue with Makoto. Not when she got like this. So instead of wasting her energy, Miryoku did as she was told, trying and leaving behind each and every dress that Makoto had proposed when they got rejected by her. Makoto didn't like how some styles didn't fit her, Fuyumi thought they didn't do her justice, and Miryoku just didn't like how all of them were just that tad bit loose around her chest.

"We can fix that quickly enough," Makoto assured her, ushering her back into the bathroom one last time.

This last one looked nice, even she could tell that when she peeked at herself in the mirror. But she just didn't like how it looked on her. She wasn't the kind to buy revealing dresses like this with the off-the-shoulder sleeves and exposed back. Neither was she one for flamboyant colors like the bright red this one was. But when she came out, it seemed like both Makoto and Fuyumi were instantly taken by it.

"That's it!"

"Oh, you look gorgeous, Ryo-chan."

"I don't know." She chuckled nervously as her hand reached up to put up the loose sleeve that kept sliding over her shoulder. "Isn't it a bit too much?"

"You're a journalist that's seeking out to interview heroes in a crowd of more than a hundred people," Makoto pointed out just adding more anxiety onto Miryoku's head. "Drawing attention to yourself is a must!"

"You do look lovely," Fuyumi added. "Besides, if you really don't like it just think of it this way, it's only for one night."

_Yeah, it does help a little._ Defeated by their rhetoric, Miryoku sighed and nodded to their delight. Quickly changing into her pajamas, she exited the bathroom ready to work and found Makoto putting the clothes away in their place while Fuyumi dawdled by her desktop reading something. Walking over to her and noticing the glum expression, Miryoku guessed almost instantly what she was reading.

"I found it by accident in one of the boxes," she quietly commented.

"Why keep it?" Fuyumi asked.

"It's a reminder, I guess."

_So that I don't trust the wrong people with things that are so important to me ever again._

Makoto came over to Fuyumi having finished rearranging her closet and pouted at the letter once having read it over Fuyumi's shoulder. "Does she still work there?"

"It'd be something to be fired when your daddy owns the company, Mako."

"I suppose they have her as an employee because of her skills too, right?" Fuyumi asked, hopeful to disintegrate the sting the subject brought.

"She's...decent." Miryoku wouldn't lie, not even about Saori's sort of incompetence when writing. "But considering she's had private tutors for years, she should be at a higher level than all of us there combined for one. Which she isn't."

"Well, that's not here nor there" Makoto asked for the letter and took it from Fuyumi when she passed it to her and crumpled it despite Miryoku's protests. "You work with her, so what? You're still one of the top dogs in JPW and you're set in the company with Kojirou-san backing you. Things couldn't be better for you!

"I've got a gala to go to, Mako. And a shitload of work to do that Koujirou-san assigned to me, thank you for reminding me."

"Pfft," she scoffed, dismissing her negativity. "You've got this. You always do. Besides, even if the billboards are a bit hectic, you'll definitely have fun at the gala. I attended the ones in America back when we studied abroad and they were amazing!"

"There's a difference between us, though," Miryoku pointed out. "You're a socialite. I'm not."

Dismissing her cynicism with a careless wave of her hand, Makoto walked out of the room with Junji trotting after her. Both her and Fuyumi watched after her and only until she was gone did the latter speak up gently.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Fuyumi's cool hand felt nice against her back and eased some of the strain on her muscles that had been wound ever since the night before. "You've pulled through tougher situations. This will be a walk in the park compared to them, I'm sure of it."

Knowing exactly how meaningful those words were coming from Fuyumi made a small and genuine smile come to her lips. "Thank you. Though that certainly makes one of us."

"Make that two!" Makoto walked back in with her enthusiasm invigorated as she carried in three glasses in hand and passed one to Fuyumi and Miryoku each.

"Thank you," Fuyumi said.

"Soda?" Miryoku sniffed it a couple of times before her eyes widened in shock. "How in the hell did you find my vodka!?"

"Nevermind that!" Makoto cheerfully called, holding onto her own glass with glee. "Special vodka is for special occasions! You just moved into a new city, got a new lease on life, and despite the minor setback with work, your life couldn't be better!" Glancing over to her, Makoto smiled at Miryoku's apathetic expression. "Am I wrong?"

Holding eye contact for a moment longer made Miryoku scoff and smirk in the end. "No, you're not."

"In that case, these are times to celebrate! For a new and better life to Miryoku! May all your past efforts and courage bring happiness and joy in the future!"

Unable to be discouraged with such words, Miryoku simply glanced over at a smiling Fuyumi before both raised their glasses to _clink _them together against Makoto's.

"Cheers!"

Miryoku found herself alone with Junji a few hours later after Makoto and Fuyumi left home and left her to her work. Now the early hours of the morning, she stretched against the back of her chair as she smiled at having done a good portion of her paperwork. The moment she caught sight of the clock that read 3am though, all that elation vanished and she groaned. Only three hours left for some rest.

Tomorrow would be hell.

Once she shut her desktop off, Miryoku tiredly made her way to her bed and sat on the edge as Junji, after having heard the ruckus of her getting ready for bed, climbed onto his side of the bed, curling in and lying down. Miryoku took off her glasses and set them aside while her other hand instinctively reached for a medicine bottle which deftly took a pill. Without a problem, she swallowed it down with just a bit of water despite its size. Done for the night, she settled on the space Junji left for her and stared at her ceiling in the darkness for a moment as her mind wandered the few things that had happened in just a few days. Moving to Kyushu, encountering the same hero she wrote about back in highschool, finding she had to attend the Billboards and gala for the first time—goodness, this week would be hell to get through. But upon remembering Fuyumi's words, she found a warmth pooling at her chest that helped her find solace and sleep.

_But I'll get through it, for sure. One step at a time._

* * *

**A/N:**

***Sighs lovingly* You guys are amazing I honestly didn't expect so many to look forward to this story both here and on AO3 and it was an amazing surprise. I didn't know if a story geared more towards the pro heroes and a nobody OC that wasn't a hero would be that interesting which is why i mostly wrote oneshots. But after that first chapter and so much encouragement from friends, I can say that I'm glad I posted it.**

**This chapter was mostly expo as you saw. A little bit of some side characters that were filler and some canon that won't be. It's to lay down the grounds that we'll be threading as the story goes on. Honestly, it may all look inconsequential but a lot of things postulated here will be brought up later so look out! :)**

**This took so long but I swear that it could've taken so much longer if I hadn't started writing little bits during the weekday. I was cutting into my study time and thought I'd effed up when I saw the test was hard af but got proven wrong when I passed. So yay for the right amounts of procrastination! I swear that nowadays when I don't have free time, I want to write and when I have free time, I want to sleep. I need to get my priorities straight (-w- **

**Thank you so much to those people who've followed and favorited this story with it only having one chapter! A big ole thank you to **_Twilight Dark Angel, Ranger Snow 1, Oh my Batman is that Spitfire, Lthombom, Anseo, skycord1990, PrettyKitty, Celestial-Mainden703, Naruto02, Aviantei, LoloxBear, luckyhgirl, JuggernautJJ, bookdragonslayer, Shannyrox101, Azulish, Skylar Kitz_ **and** _Rynxenvy_.

**And to those lovely people that reviewed: thank you so much. You have no idea how much the things you guys leave, may they be little or a lot, inspire me to write even more. **

**I hope you all are safe and sound, lovelies. For now, I shall leave you with this since it's 1am and I'm starting to lose my sanity from lack of sleep nowadays. So I hope you like this update. Next chapter will be a bit more preparing for the billboards and gala and then...the big event along with the reveal of Miryoku's Quirk. Hope to hear what you all thought of this chapter and that you stay tuned for the next chapter as well!**

**Love you all,**

**\- Evie**


	3. Unraveling

**I had fun with this one. Also, ily guys.**

* * *

_**Interview with a Winged Hero**_

**Chapter Three**

_Unraveling_

* * *

—_The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it._

_**Norman Schwarzkopf**_

* * *

**Six Years Ago — Tokyo, Shopping District**

_What in heaven's name am I doing here?_

Miryoku stared after her two companions—one a friend, the other a recent addition to their news club in high school—as they walked through row after row of the current department store they were in.

_Oh, that's right. I got dragged out._

Alright, maybe she was exaggerating but her current predicament certainly felt mildly forced by her friend. Miryoku hadn't seen anything wrong with Makoto wanting to spend some quality time with the newbie that entered their club. _What was her name again? Hana-something Saori?_ Whatever her name was, she hadn't cared in the least. And apparently her friend saw that as a challenge. Makoto came as abruptly as she always did to add her into her impromptu plans for the afternoon, interrupting her gaming session.

There frankly wasn't a point in trying. The girl hadn't looked like she wanted to be at the clubroom when she showed up that morning anyway. And seeing how she was still fidgety despite Makoto's approachable demeanor now told Miryoku that she didn't want to be here either.

_You and I both._

Miryokyu made her way out of the store bored as she was, wandering off to get some of that spicy ice cream she saw on the way to the store when something made her stop in her tracks. Though she stopped dead center in front of a rather flamboyant display of a children's show, what had caught her attention was one of the characters so shamelessly displayed with the rest. A white bunny with a pink hat over her ears and a white flower.

Going inside, her hands reached out almost instantly for one of the many pins of the character and examined it. It reminded her very much of a lunatically euphoric bunny. The cashier rang loudly in the otherwise quiet store as she went ahead and bought it, holding closely the little decorated bag with its cute little sticker.

_I hope Rumi-san likes it._

Turning to her before actually finishing the transaction, the cashier smiled and picked out a shirt from behind the counter. "If you like the pin so much, you might be interested in this My Melody shirt we're selling to go with the pin. What do you think?"

At the sight of the bright pink shirt, she gave it some thought. When she realized that it matched with the pin, she nodded and let the cashier finish ringing her up. _It'll be cute if we match, right?_ That thought swam in her head all the way out of the store where she failed to notice a couple of familiar faces waiting for her while in her daydream.

"What'd you got there, Ryo?"

Sunset eyes rose to meet a pair of quizzical looks from her companions. Being caught red handed set her face on fire, the warm blood rushing to her cheeks a clear telltale of how personal the items were. And that particular conversation was one she _really_ didn't want to have with them.

"J-Just a pin and shirt. I-I-I think those characters are cute."

"You do?" Saori coyly tilted her head to gaze at the display over her shoulder before smiling. "They do have a certain kind of charm to them. Though you don't seem like the type of person, to be honest, Chimni-san."

As if on cue, Makoto strutted forward and swung her arm over Miryoku's shoulder. "It may not look like it but she used to be a total _hikki_ when I met her. One that hoarded tons of plushies of everything you can imagine. You should've seen her room when I visited her house for the first time."

"Oi."

There wasn't anything stopping Makoto now that Saori's comment got her on a roll embarrassing Miryoku though. "It's been tough breaking her out of her shell but it's coming along just swell if I do say so myself."

Miryoku gave her a deadpan stare, unable to believe what she just heard. "I wasn't a _hikki."_

"No?" Makoto asked incredulously and pulled her in. "Your grandfather basically begged me to take you out of the house the first time I came over. You wouldn't even come down to see me you were such a recluse."

"First of all, you came uninvited. And secondly, the only reason gramps _begged _you for anything that day was because I refused to buy him taiyaki for dinner for the fifth damn time in a row."

"Details don't matter."

"Context does."

Their sudden bantering was interrupted by the soft chuckling that came from Saori. A warmed smile came to her lips as her reddish pink eyes looked at them both in kind.

"You two certainly get along well."

"Barely."

"Right?" Makoto swatted Miryoku's comment aside and smiled back at Saori. "Don't listen to her, she's being a sourpuss."

"Are you guys done window shopping?" Miryoku asked nonchalantly while pointing back with her thumb towards the food court. "There's a large mango ice cream with spicy syrup with my name on it."

Once done placating her friend's odd sweet tooth and getting some sweets themselves, the three girls sat on a bench to rest and watched the indoor fountain of the shopping mall while all three ate. Saori who sat on the other side of Makoto leaned forward to face Miryoku who minded her very little as she savored her ice cream.

"Say, Chimni-san, Tsukauchi-san and I were having an interesting conversation while we were at the last store. I wanted to ask you about it when we noticed you left. Mind if I ask you?"

"Not really."

Her reply was automatic with how rapt she was by her ice cream and how delicious it was. So much so that she didn't even see Makoto's suddenly tensing back or the way she was motioning for Saori not to. But just as Miryoku was too occupied eating to notice her, Saori seemed too interested in what Miryoku had to say to bother with the other's warnings.

"Say, what's your Quirk, Chimni-san?"

Miryoku stopped mid spoonful of ice cream, sunset eyes widening at such a left field question. Though Makoto tensed even further while sitting like a barrier between them, Saori leaned further forward to try and catch a glimpse of Miryoku's face. Such a thing only forced Makoto to try as she awkwardly could to change the subject.

"W-Whoa! Look, you guys! They turned on the fountain lights! Aren't they pretty?"

Her attempts to diffuse a situation she knew wouldn't end well were in vain though when Saori, after a moment of getting no answer, spoke up loud enough to not be ignored.

"Mine is very strange compared to Tsuakuchi-san's." She chuckled sweetly as she glanced down at the gold mark that circled her left wrist, diamonds interspaced like some kind of bracelet. "Though I suppose being able to make any two things that I touch switch places is odd compared to a human lie detector. Compared to those, I wanted to see what yours entailed."

"A-Ah, would you guys look at the time! It's later than I thought it was!" Makoto burst out and sprung out of her seat while hauling both off their butts to drag them towards the exit. "My brother's probably waiting for Ryo and I, Saori. We'll walk with you to where your car is waiting too if you want!"

"I'm sure it's nothing to cause such an uproar about, Tsukauchi-san." Freezing at being so easily read, Makoto couldn't help but stop when Saori pulled her back. Miryoku followed suit simply because of the grasp Makoto still had on her wrist. "I'm sure Chimni-san's Quirk is very interesting too!"

Miryoku caught by the corner of her eye how Makoto fidgeted in her feet. _She feels.._._guilty?_ There didn't seem any other way to describe what she saw. Makoto felt guilty for having unintentionally brought that conversation up even when it'd been when she wasn't around. Frankly, she didn't care. Despite how much the question surprised her, it really wasn't anything to hide. Even if she told herself that though, Miryoku knew what a big fat lie she was trying to convince herself of.

The sweet and spicy ice cream suddenly tasted bland in her mouth at the idea of having to say it. As her brain attempted to come up with a way to explain, her gut yelled at her not to. It cried and begged her to ignore Saori's question.

And she learned a while ago that only one of those knew what was best for her.

Idly walking to the nearest trash can, Miryoku tossed her half eaten ice cream in it before looking back at Saori and Makoto. The latter with a sour and apologetic look on her face and the former with an expectant, wide-eyed expression.

_Time to do what I do best._

"I'm Quirkless."

Pink and green eyes went wider than before at the sudden declaration; one surely out of confusion and the other out of what she hoped was sheer embarrassment.

Cheeks molten as could be, Saori stuttered unable to keep her shame from showing. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean—I shouldn't have asked—I didn't know!"

"Now you do." With that, Miryoku spun on her heels and started making her way towards the exit while waving back at them.

"W-Wait!" Makoto called out after her. "Nao's coming to pick us up!"

"I think I need a walk, Mako. Tell him I say thanks. I'll see you guys at school."

Not waiting for them to reply, she took longer strides than usual to get to the exit as quickly as possible while holding tightly onto the only things she had bought on that rare outing. Once out in the streets and as far from the shopping mall as she could possibly get, she let herself take a breather and leaned back against a lamppost to do so. Sunset eyes stared skyward at the twilight sky as her own words replayed in her mind.

"_I'm Quirkless."_

Miryoku scoffed and bit her bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

"If only."

* * *

**Present Day, 10am — Tokyo, Outside an event hall.**

"Alright, Makoto, write this down. If I die today, all my belongings go to Junji."

"_Oh, come now. It can't be _that _bad."_

Miryoku raised a dark eyebrow at her phone, the video call allowing Makoto to see the full extent of her deadpan expression. With a swift flip of her phone while holding it up high, she gave Makoto a glimpse of the same exact view of her surroundings.

A crowd gathered around the relatively small event hall rented out for the Billboard Charts. A crowd that exceeded her expectations. From what she could gather, half were reporters and journalists like herself, some coming along with their cameramen while others came alone. The other much rowdier half consisted of what she abhorred the most about her job: fans. Crazy fans to be precise. Miryoku knew it wasn't nice or even fair to label everybody the same, but after more than a few bad experiences, she knew not to expect much from them. Thankfully, the small event would only allow a certain amount of people inside the venue according to what she was told; so aside from news casters and journalists, there wouldn't be much room left for the fans.

It brought a smile to her face and some sort of cynical satisfaction seeing them get turned down at the door after she all but walked in like she owned the place with her fancy pass.

_Good riddance._

"_It does look a little claustrophobic."_

Hearing Makoto's voice coming from her earphones, she angled her phone to stay as face-to-face as possible with her friend while security guided them to their respective zones.

"More like a lot." She sighed, rubbing the small of her back as it ached from the last couple of nights of slaving herself away over her computer. "I swear, it's like the damn gremlins from that one movie."

"_You mean 'Gremlins'?"_

"Whatever it's called." Miryoku patted the pockets of her jacket one last time to double check her things but never quite stopped complaining. "I hope nobody's feeding them shit after midnight."

"_You sound a tad bit more annoyed than I expected you to be."_

"You know I don't do crowds too well." Something quite ironic when she dealt with the masses for a living. Though, to her credit, she did a good enough job through her writing.

"_Besides that. It's like something's got you on edge. Did they send you by yourself?"_

"I would have bailed on them if they had."

"_Ah, so it's about who they_ did_ send with you then."_ Miryoku sometimes hated her friend's sharpness. _"Who'd you get stuck with?"_

Miryoku clicked her tongue at the reminder. "They sent the cutesy ass gremlin that multiplies every time it gets wet."

"_Excuse_ me?"

Soari's peeved tone brought Miryoku's attention to her as the shorter girl finally found herself with her. Heaving a sigh, Miryoku only gave her a sidelong glance before turning back to Makoto with a dull expression.

"Gizmo's here. Gotta go."

"_Be nice! And good luck to the both of you!"_

Not promising anything, she merely made a peace sign while slightly sticking out her tongue at her friend before hanging up. Miryoku hurriedly put her earphones and phone away while she and Saori made their way with the rest of the journalists to their seats.

Coming as close as she could, Saori glared daggers at Miryoku as she angrily hissed, "I told you to wait for me!"

"You took too long." _You could've waited a bit longer,_ the logical side of her brain chided. A part she quickly shoved to the back of her mind to let the acerbic little snake that lived in the crevices of her mind rise. "Though I suppose a gremlin can't run very fast with stubby, little legs."

"You—" To her credit, Saori stopped herself before she fell for her taunting, instead turning to face straight ahead as if nothing. "No. Your insults are childish at best and I won't fall for them any further. Honestly, I don't know why you bother."

"It's fun," she admitted without the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice.

_And honestly, it's one way I can let out steam right now._

She had no idea what Kojirou was thinking when he sent Saori to report on the Billboard Charts and gala with her. Honestly when he emailed her the news, he promptly received a very annoyed and angry call late in the evening that lasted a good hour and a half. Miryoku knew she wasn't going to change his mind, but if she was going to suffer in the morning because of the brat then so was he from an earful of passive-aggressiveness and lack of sleep. Still, the fact remained that Saori and her _had_ to work together to make this work. And it had to be a success no matter how much she hated the company at the moment.

Work always came first and foremost after all.

"Are you JPWs reporters?"

Miryoku simply showed off her badge while Soari gave a curt 'we are'. The usher pointed them towards the middle of the third row where a couple of seats stood ready for them with neatly taped JPW logos. Taking the farthest seat and settling in quickly gave Miryoku ample time to scope out the place and ask questions as she did so.

"Heard Kojirou-san sent you here 'cause you've been to one of these before."

Saori gave her a sidelong glance, glaring at her for the couthed attitude she was taking, before clearing her throat. "I have."

"What's the rundown?"

"Of what?"

"Everything," Miryoku said, sitting back properly on her seat to stare blankly at the well lit stage that stood so close in front of them.

"That's quite a broad request, Chimni. Care to specify?"

"No, but you won't speak otherwise so I'll dumb it down." Not caring how snarky their back and forward sounded to those sitting around them, Miryoku carried on with the same blasé attitude if only to try and bother Saori as much as her presence annoyed Miryoku. "I've seen the broadcast of the charts before. Is that any different here in person?"

"They're practically the same." Saori's lack of detail got Miryoku to raise a rather irked eyebrow at her coworker and perpetual thorn on her side. Getting the hint, Saori continued despite the ever growing redness of her cheeks that surely arose from frustration. "They usually announce the top ten and give a little speech at the end. Frankly, the rankings aren't what is important during the Billboard Charts for us. What's important are the briefings afterward."

"They have briefings here?" That was news to her. Though she supposed that the articles she read after every biannual billboard chart had to get more info from somewhere since they tended to have more meat than she thought possible to obtain from just attending a top ten countdown. "When are those?"

"After the rankings." Saori fished her phone from the brand bag that hung over her shoulder to quickly unlock it and scroll through something to show to Miryoku's face. "Nagano-san sent an email two days ago with the specifications. Did you not read it?"

"Didn't finish," she said while grabbing Saori's phone to do exactly that. Frankly, after reading that she and Saori had been paired to report on the event and her fiery phone call thereafter, she had completely disregarded the rest of the email.

And it precisely said all that she was asking Saori right now.

_Well, don't I feel stupid._

Clearing her throat, Miryoku passed the phone back before leaning back on her chair to wait for the event to begin.

"Who's getting which briefing room?"

Now that she had more information to work with, her questions were much more direct. According to the email, the top tens got split up for better management with journalists and newscasters. Top five got an hour long briefing split in twine while the latter half got 20 minutes max. Quite a disparity but it was understable. More attention was always paid to the top five, especially when that's where All Might would be. But with the briefings happening simultaneously, it'd be hard to get even a bit of the latter half of the top ten if they spent the whole hour with the top five.

At her question, Saori's shoulders visibly fell and as her gaze followed dejectedly. "There won't be any splitting up."

"What?"

"Nagano-san specifically ordered those of us in charge of each crew to focus on the top five. Said that the latter half of the top ten would be covered by somebody else who would watch the broadcast. Orders from the higher-ups, apparently. Mentioned something about the ratings."

"Oh."

It made sense now. JP Weekly wasn't the top news conglomerate for nothing, after all. Focusing on what would add to their numbers was the logical move. And following their logic, anything that fell below a certain standard wasn't worth reporting on. Quite frankly, though, those kinds of stories ended up being the most bland and boring ones every single time.

Displeased as she was, Miryoku muttered under her breath, "That's not right."

Soari refused to answer but she could see from the corner of her eyes how her hands gripped her bag a little tighter.

When the lights that had illuminated the event hall so well suddenly dimmed down, both women turned towards the stage where spotlights hit the announcer of that year's charts. A prim young woman stood out as she began the yearly spiel that Miryoku had all but memorized over the years of watching the live broadcast. It impressed even her how well she'd learned to tune out the unnecessary chatter after the few years in her field. It was something she was grateful for, especially now since it let her surf the net on her phone while the idly chatter continued. It'd be easy to tune back in when the only thing that mattered, and the only reason anybody was there anyways, finally began.

"And now, for our top heroes!" The cheerfulness that the announcer conducted herself with seemed tiring to Miryoku. She really couldn't see herself standing in the poor girl's shoes having to be all sweet, nice and smiles for the whole of this charade.

The first three heroes called out weren't that surprising. Gang Orca, Ryuku, Yoroi Musha. They'd remained in their spots for the most parts. In Ryuku's case, she climbed a couple of places to get to ninth. As did Gang Orca. Seeing their young faces got Miryoku seriously wondering what kept such an old man like Yoroi Musha from retiring though. Numbers 7 and 6 hadn't changed in the past year either. Old reliables tended to get their way like that and stay on their pedestals for what they were worth.

Top five wasn't any different.

"Nothing changes much, huh?" she muttered under her breath.

Saori nodded. "It would appear so."

Miryuoku counted down under her breath along with the announcer, "Number five, Edgeshot. Four, Best Jeanist. Three, Hawks. Two, Endeavor. And,_numero uno_ is, surprise, surprise..."

All Might—for who knows how many times in a row now. Miryoku wondered why she was there again when this was such an easy task for one person.

Thankfully, this mindless torture didn't last longer than the twenty minutes it took to announce the ten of them. That only meant, though, that a new kind of hell awaited her in the tiny room that they were now filing into. Miryoku followed Saori's lead since she knew most of how this whole thing was handled and took a gander at the room they were led into now.

It really was just a gathering room annexed to the main event hall, and certainly not the only one. Back before the crowd parted and the media headed to the briefings, she noted the clear divide between the latter half of the top ten and the top five. Surely, the only reason the other room would be filled would be because they maxed the capacity on this one, sad as that was.

To her dismay, JPW's section was upfront where all the action would be. Miryoku sighed at the thought of having to deal with all this without a shield of others in front of her. Taking a seat, she slumped against it already exhausted after having spent more than two hours waiting for twenty minutes of what she could've easily watched on TV. No use mulling over that now. She was there and she'd have to get through it however she could. That it took a good ten minutes to settle the crowd of media and journalists into the room, though, didn't help with her already souring mood. Rubbing the side of her temple, Miryoku grumbled under her breath as she leaned to one side for Saori to hear her better.

"It's been ten minutes...I don't think I'll make it through an hour with these people."

"Too bad," Saori hissed back. "We were sent here to get information for the article on the billboard charts and that's what we'll do."

"There's no need to remain here the whole hour to do so though."

Saori turned to her then and was about to ask her what she meant when the announcer from before welcomed in the top five to have a seat before the readied table for them. Though it didn't look like it, the table was long enough to sit them all. From left to right it came down to Edgeshot, Endeavor, All Might, Hawks, and Best Jeanist—a fitting arrangement, she thought, since it'd give the right spotlight to everybody that needed it.

"Now, we will take questions in an orderly fashion from all the sources present and we'll open the floor thereafter."

Like horses off to the races, everybody's hand shot up in an instant including Saori's the moment the announcer finished her sentence. Miryoku physically jumped in her seat, her eyes wide as she glanced over her shoulder at the multitude of reporters and journalists clamoring like children to be chosen. So much for 'orderly fashion'. _Good thing I'm only here as decoration._

During her time spacing out in the actual top ten countdown, Miryoku took the time to read over the email sent to her by Kojirou, noting something different compared to Saori's. The sole reason she was there was to assure that things went smoothly and to step in if she saw the need to. Other than that however, her only real purpose was to babysit Saori so she could conduct the whole event by herself. Nothing new, she surmised. That they worked under the same company didn't change the fact that Saori was still the CEO's daughter and that Kojirou was still her highly paid mentor.

What she took away from that email was to keep an eye out for Gizmo and keep her out of trouble without getting in her way. Miryoku could do that. Sure, it was certainly unpleasant to be used as a glorified babysitter but it also meant that she was getting paid for doing practically nothing. It's not like she was in charge of writing the article, either; Saori was. Sure, she'd be printed as co-author, but aside from that, there wasn't much to collaborate on with her hands tied behind her back as they were.

"Can't this end any sooner?" she mumbled and received a peeved glare from Saori from overhearing her comment.

"You are working. Can't you be a little more professional?"

"Professionalism is needed when the attention is on you, Gizmo. One-on-one's get that. This _clown fiesta _doesn't."

"Clown fiesta?"

Miryoku dismissed Saori questioning her lingo with a shake of her head. "All I'm saying is that they won't remember us from the crowd even if we are from JPW." She shut her mouth the moment someone from the crowd got picked, their question, of course, directed at All Might. His booming voice allowed her to continue speaking under him, just loud enough for her to listen. "We're a grain of sand on the beach for them here. Which makes this all the more tedious."

The crowd roared back to life after the question ended and the next reporter asked his question.

"Well, too bad. It's work—_our_ work. Now stop being such an impudent child and do it."

"It's called being practical—"_ And bored. _"Besides, I could ask fewer questions than you, still get the info needed to write that article _and_ be out in record time to catch the briefing of the latter five."

"There is no leaving early," Saori told her. Another couple of them got chosen and asked their questions. More All Might and some to Best Jeanist. "They don't allow us to leave until it's over for safety reasons."

"Are you serious?"

She nodded as she jotted down something from All Might's answer that interested her before turning back to Miryoku. "I've only known of people leaving because they got kicked out after asking controversial questions."

Sunset eyes locked with reddish pink as Miryoku's eyebrows raised. For a moment, both women stared at each other as horror slowly spread across Saori's face the moment a smug smirk tugged at Miryoku's lips. Miryoku's hand shot upward like a bat out of hell, Saori a little too slow to stop her but grabbing onto her arm to try and bring it down all the same.

"Chimni—don't!"

Small as she was though, nothing she did could bring Miryoku's hand down. Saori, realizing this, hung from her arm to lower it as much as possible and keep out of the announcer's sight. But even with her arm shaking, Miryoku kept it straight as she could as the announcer finally turned to them.

"JP Weekly, you have the word."

"_Thank you_," she enunciated politely, getting Saori to release her and act like she wasn't dying of embarrassment ten times over. Miryoku, ignoring the putty that her coworker was turning into, smiled sweetly at the five heroes before turning to the one sure wick she knew she could set ablaze. "Question for Endeavor."

Said hero heaved a sigh before leaning forward to the microphone that was set in front of him. He didn't say a word, not like she expected him to, but she took a moment to think of a way to phrase her question without making it sound too out of line.

_Just out of line enough to get booted out._

"It's been known that you have been after the number one spot ever since your debut and it's been quite the story to have seen someone as yourself push through the rankings to land yourself where you are. That being said, this _is_ the eighth time you have obtained the number two spot and there are those who wonder whether you have any intention of relenting what some call your 'fruitless' endeavor to the top."

The room fell silent. Almost as if someone had just smacked them all across the face. Saori herself looked ready to die and dig herself into the ground. Miryoku, however, smiled politely as ever. Though she could tell Endeavor was more than angered by the question, he didn't bite the bait like she'd hoped for. Something she could tell simply by the way he looked at her from the stage.

Damn, those eyes hadn't changed in all those years. No matter how old he got, they still sent a chill down her spine. The years truly hadn't changed that sour expression on Fuyumi's father's face. It was still the same one she remembered reproaching her despite letting her stay when he found her at their home quite unexpected and uninvited. But surely he wouldn't recognize her. She'd gone the extra mile to distance herself from the little girl from all those years ago. At least, she thought she had. But by the somewhat calm demeanor he answered with, she was thinking that maybe he did recognize her, after all.

He took a hold of the microphone in his hand, a bit of smoke rising from it as he leaned forward to answer. "I'm not stopping."

Miryoku blinked a couple of times. _That's it?_ By how the announcer tried to downplay the situation and continue the briefing seamlessly, it appeared so. She clicked her tongue indignantly but before she could settle back into her seat, a hand smacked her arm with a bit of force earning a small 'ow' from her.

Saori's cheeks were molten as she raised her hand to be picked again with the rest of the reporters present. In the midst of it however, she didn't fail in reproaching her. "Are you crazy? Do you _want_ to get us kicked out?"

_That _was_ the plan_. _Was_ being the operative word there.

She really thought pushing Endeavor's buttons would be the ticket out but she supposed that he at least could behave himself in public. _Something worth two shits when at home though._ But he wasn't the only one there. There was still a handful whom she could pester to get kicked out.

Which brought Miryoku to the million yen question: who would be the lucky winner of her torture? She took a moment to ponder. Edgeshot was straightlaced enough to be a good target, but she wasn't well versed in his affairs to know what buttons to push. Best Jeanist was a similar story. Not like she couldn't give it a shot with either of them though. Endeavor was still an option but after that question, he would be wary of her if JPW got picked again. All Might was a lost cause, honestly. There didn't seem to exist a thing in this world that could trouble the behemoth that was the No.1 hero.

_So that leaves—_

Bustling red wings caught her attention as they spread behind him while Hawks leaned forward to answer a question directed at him.

_The precocious man._

Miryoku heaved a loud sigh at her predicament. Of course that'd be her last resort, having to pick a fight with a giant red pigeon. _But if that's what it takes… _Taking a moment to take him in as he answered, a sudden through struck her.

The simple idea of having met him more than once in less than a week was truly unbelievable to her. Having him up close again only reminded her more so of those events. Interviewing him and so conveniently forgetting how she'd shoved the idea of the winged hero to the back of her mind was one thing. It was a whole other thing bumping into him during a robbery that same night. And now this. With Saori present no less. Karma had a grand sense of humor that she would never comprehend.

"Alright," the announcer's bubbly voice came loud and clear over the people in the room. "We'll be opening up the floor for questions from anybody who may have them now."

_Damn, has 30 minutes already gone by?_ The way that fewer people now lifted their hands answered that question. They had ran through all the media here and were just letting them duke it out between them for attention. Beside her, Saori raised her arm high in the air, bouncing in her seat in an attempt to make herself visible. Guess she wasn't done yet, Miryoku thought while taking a gander at the lineup once more. That meant another half hour of this hell. Something she wouldn't allow without fighting back.

At least it was amusing to see Saori's eyes basically popping out of their sockets the instant she lifted her hand over hers. Like a feral cat, Saori hissed at her while trying to bring her arm down and raise hers higher. "Chinmi, don't you dare!"

"You said to do my job...and that's what I'm going to do." Eyeing the unguarded notebook that rested on her lap, it was easy for Miryoku to slap it and her pen off of it with a playful smack. Saori cursed under her breath, cheeks turning bright red as she hurriedly bent down to pick it up. That window of mere seconds was enough for the announcer to notice Miryoku and pick her out of the crowd.

"JP Weekly, go ahead."

"Thank you," Miryoku replied and chuckled when beside her Saori could only slam her face against her lap and notebook. "This one's for Hawks, if you'd be so kind."

Those red wings of his seemed to perk again under the attention before laying right back. Sunset eyes turned to said hero and caught him already looking her way while resting the side of his face against his open palm. He smiled at her, the flashing cameras making him unnaturally dazzling and his wings a blinding bright crimson.

"Shoot," he carelessly called out, the microphone sitting in its stand just a few inches in front of him.

_Indeed, let's give this a shot._ It both amazed and frightened her how quickly her mind concocted the question that barely bordered inappropriate.

"It's widely recognized that your Quirk is one if not _the _deciding factor that allowed your unrelentless climb to the top at a young age. I don't think there isn't a person here present that doesn't recognize what has been as of recently such a historic accomplishment. That being said, it is greatly debated in some spaces whether this success and image you have are mere fabrication intended for the peace of mind of younger generations."

Behind his visors, Miryoku could've sworn catching his eyes narrowed slightly. "Kind of lost me there, sweetheart."

His tone suddenly caught her off guard. It wasn't gruff nor catty but there was a hint of something that she wasn't quite comfortable with. A smile was still plastered on his face, his chin now resting on his hand, but that tone paired with the way that he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. Despite what little attention she gave the other reporters, she could tell that this was odd compared to a few minutes ago. Almost as if he was studying her with how those eyes of his just barely narrowed down on her. Taking all that into consideration, she highly doubted he misunderstood her question.

_He's pulling my chain. _Two could play that game.

Before she could open her mouth and rephrase her question though, Saori stepped in quicker than Miryoku thought possible. "What we mean to ask is if you would consider your success as the third ranking hero to only yourself or if you would also include your agency's hard work in the equation?"

Almost instantly, sunset eyes glared down at Saori who disregarded her the best she could to keep up appearances with a sweet smile. Hawks stared at both for a moment before his smile broadened and the flashing lights bombarded him again.

"Of course I do! For as much of a one-man show that I am, I owe a ton to the guys who work with me. Wouldn't be here without them."

Miryoku blew out a tired raspberry as the hands shot up anew, her serious tone more than blown off the table thanks to Saori's interruption and Hawks' reply. _I could've gotten him to kick us out._ And since the thought wouldn't stop turning in her head, she decided to run with it. Risking Saori's miniature wrath, Miryoku kept raising her hand and getting called on with how much she stood out by being right in front. Though she deviated by asking others a few questions to not seem too obvious, she focused most of her fire on the winged hero. But in spite of how and what she asked, he kept deviating the subject by feigning ignorance, something that Saori used to butt in and calm the waters. The few times she got through before she could interrupt weren't any better either. It was like she was back in that interview with Ito watching as the poor girl got gaslighted like there was no tomorrow. Only now it was happening to her. And even when she knew this and was actively fighting against it, she couldn't find an opening. Not with the annoying roundabout way he went about responding.

Failing yet again, her hand shot up instantly along with the others only to be quieted when the announcer took to her microphone.

"And with that we'll wrap this briefing, folks!"

Miryoku froze, eyes growing wide as she realized too late that she'd literally spent the last half hour antagonizing the guy to kick them out only to accidentally spend that time actually working. _Fucking hell._ Security guided them out before long as the heroes themselves were escorted off-stage. Grumbling all the way out, she made her way behind Saori whose shoulders slumped down exhausted.

"I can't believe you wasted our time with such idiotic questions and put us at risk of being kicked out."

"You're telling me? _I_ just wasted an hour of my life on that fiasco."

"_You_ made it a fiasco!" she finally screeched as the crowd dwindled down to a few groups that lingered around, most of them searching for a peek of the heroes that had left alongside them. "And I can't believe the kinds of questions! Nagano-san will hear of this."

"Tell me, do you ever get tired of tattling on others? Or is it innate at this point."

Reddish pink eyes glared up at her for a brief second before huffing and giving Miryoku her back. "That you refuse to follow the company rules doesn't mean you shouldn't be confronted with the consequences of breaking them."

"I don't think we're talking about me anymore, kettle."

"You're—You're—You're simply insufferable!"

With that last screech, Miryoku watched Saori's back as she stormed off and out of the view, more than likely leaving the event hall. Miryoku stood stranded for a moment as she thought about what to do. Angry as she was, Saori would certainly be at the hotel room that Kojirou had booked for their stay at the gala's venue. And since Miryoku didn't want to be anywhere close to her at the moment, her hotel room was the last place she would be returning to. It wasn't like she could hang far from the hotel though. Even if the gala was in the evening, she'd have to start getting ready early if she wanted to take her time.

Which only left the one good place left that would have her both as close and as far away from Saori as possible until the evening came.

Blessed be hotel bars.

"Maybe a Grog? Nah, Long Island's better."

_Wouldn't want to show up at the gala _too_ drunk._

* * *

**Five years ago — Tokyo, Asuka High School. Near baseball fields. **

"**You lying bitch!"**

Miryoku pushed hard enough for Saori to crash against the iron-linked fence, her fingers lacing against it as she slammed her arms on either side of the other girl's body. Saori visibly flinched as her face turned whiter than a sheet, eyes widening as she tried not to avert them. The clear anger that poured from the sunset-colored glare however made it impossible not to.

"Miryoku, stop!"

Easily pushing Makoto back, Miryoku went straight back to Saori as the teen finally dared to glare back at her. This only served to infuriate her further and push the fence to jerk her around.

"Why!?" It took that one word to stop the three of them in their tracks. Makoto couldn't pull Miryoku off as she too wanted to know the same thing. Miryoku most of all just wanted a reason. A simple answer to a very _fucking_ simple question. Through gritted teeth, she narrowed her gaze as she hissed, "...Why did you do it?

Redding pink eyes averted for a moment and essentially lost all their vigor before meeting her gaze once more. As she dared answer, her lips trembled as a quiet voice spilled out of her.

"I...I had to."

The hands entrapping her against the fence pushed down and made her whole body jerk in fear. It was hard not to but Miryoku managed to not scream in her face next, earning her a low growl instead. "Bullshit you did."

"It's true!" Her voice returned to her then, high, coy and very much irritating her. "I-I needed to win that contest."

"You could've done it yourself, Saori," Makoto pointedly said. Despite her not wanting for Miryoku to maim the girl, she could very well see what was pushing her to do it. "At least you could've tried to win it fairly instead of doing what you did."

"I tried. I truly did. But I knew that nothing I did would be good enough for those people."

"It doesn't matter! You could've gone crying to your dad and it would've been yours." Miryoku's words seemed to have struck a chord with how Saori flinched. Seeing this only egged her onward in wanting to dig that nail further. "How shitty or not your skills are, there wasn't a damn reason for you to steal mine when you could have just gone and told them to pick you! Your goddamn father owns the damn place for the fuck's sake!"

"H-He has nothing to do with the choosing process," she argued weakly. "I know little of how that place works but I do know that he doesn't have anything to do with it. Only the editors and editor-in-chief do. And I knew that I couldn't let my father down—I couldn't!"

"Screw letting him down! You fucking stole my work, Saori! What I'd worked so hard to make—one of the few things that's mine—and you took it away from me!"

"I'll tell the truth," she cried, tears welling at the corners of her eyes now. "I'll convince them to give you the position, the recognition!"

"I don't care about any of that! I just care…" She stopped short when those last three words trickled out of her in a whisper. Pink eyes turned to see her hands slacking off from the fence as she slowly released her. Stepping back, Miryoku let her anger subside, the words finally spilling from her lips as a new emptiness tore through her. "I just...cared…"

Shaking her head made those regrets disappear as her fury returned full fledged. Without warning, Miryoku shoved Saori against the fence once more by the collar of her jacket as hard as she could. Makoto jumped at the sudden aggression but couldn't tear Miryoku's hold on the girl no matter what she tried. Hissing right in her face, Miryoku used her flaring anger to deliver one last threat.

"I hope you're fucking happy with what you did and that I never in my goddamn life hear you complain about what you gained by robbing it from me."

With a jerk, she released her, leaving Saori to slide down the fence to cry her eyes out and Makoto at a loss with a worried expression etched on her face. Miryoku hadn't known where she intended to go when she stormed off. All she wanted was to be as far away from that prissy bitch as humanly possible. So when she found herself slamming shut a classroom door, she was mildly surprised when at lifting her gaze she was met with their school's empty music room.

It was a regular sized room but rather empty compared to the rest of the classrooms. Numerous chairs were lined in a semi circle around a grand piano with the slightly opened windows letting the afternoon sun spill brightly into the rather cool space. Sitting on the bench, her eyes scanned the ivory and ebony keys as she bent forward to lean her forehead against the piano's closed top.

The longer she stared at them though, the more the words she'd said just seconds before her outburst rang louder than anything.

'_I just...cared…'_

There wasn't a reason for her to be _this_ angry. Upset, yes, anybody would be. But livid enough to physically harass her? Absolutely not. Had it been any other piece for homework or for club activities, she wouldn't have been. It didn't make sense to the rational part of her brain. But she was, and she had no idea how else to show it. For everything that she was, her work meant the world to her. Writing had been the first way she learned of that let her express herself. A way to communicate without speaking. Ever since she figured out her passion for journalism, something Makoto said clicked more than anything as to the reason why. She made it. She created and molded it to what she thought right and what she thought needed to be said. For someone like her, it became a strange kind of power given simply by a pseudonym. A power that she knew no Quirk would ever give her—a way to say what she needed to say without fear of being punished for it.

_And she took that away. _

"Here you are."

Miryoku didn't dare raise her head until she had wiped away the prickling tears that threatened to fall when Makoto's voice reached her ears. The bench she sat on creaked as a new weight was added and a warmth spread across her back as her hand soothingly rubbed it.

"Ryo, I'm—"

"Don't." She hadn't meant to snap. Thankfully, it hadn't sounded as horrid as she thought it had. Just mildly strained. "Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I forced you to enter. If I hadn't, none of this would've happened."

"You didn't make me do shit. I entered that stupid contest because I wanted to."

"Still…" Makoto's sorrowful tone lingered as her word trailed and her hand slowed to a stop. "I know how important what you do is to you. Especially when you pour your heart into it."

"Which is why I'm quitting. Writing, the club, journalism—all of it."

"What!?"

A long, tiresome breath escaped Miryoku as Makoto tried to gather herself from the sudden shock. Her lips upturned into a smile. A small painful one.

"I'm tired of it, Mako. People taking what they want from me whenever they want because they feel like it...I'm tired of it happening every time I find something good in my life. Maybe it's better if I don't give them the chance to hurt me anymore. If I don't do anything and have nothing, there won't be anything for them to take, right?"

"That's not how it works, Miryoku. This and _that_ aren't remotely the same thing."

"No?" Miryoku scoffed, her hands gripping tightly the bottom side of the piano bench. "They certainly feel like it."

"They're not." Makoto's hand reached up to her shoulders and squeezed tenderly. "And you don't have to give up anything. You shouldn't have to just because of one rotten person."

"What's the point when there's always more?"

"There'll always be more. But that shouldn't be what decides whether you keep doing what you love or not. Your love for it should be what decides that. Because I can tell how much you enjoy it from that smile you get when others read your stuff, I can see that enthusiasm you have when you piece together a puzzle that everybody else was having trouble putting together, and I feel how much it hurts you now that it got taken away."

A chuckle bubbled from Miryoku's throat and a sob escaped with it. "I'm an idiot, aren't I? For feeling like this because of something so dumb."

"I don't think so," she replied. "Whether it's dumb or not isn't a legitimate question when it's about something we truly love. We love what we love, and nothing about it will ever be insignificant. And if you value your work as much as I know you do, then there's nothing stupid about how you feel. What Saori did was deplorable, and I can understand why you would feel the way you do."

Those words sunk in slowly but once they did, all Miryoku could do was lean against Makoto's shoulder as she sniffled and wiped away tears from her face. Her emotions settled after a long minute and once they did, she mumbled some words under her breath for her to hear.

"I'm never forgiving her for this."

"Maybe not now."

"I'm sticking to my guns on this one, Tsukauchi."

This made Makoto chuckle as she reached around to rub at Miryoku's arm. "I've known you since middle school, Miryoku, and I've seen how you are. I've seen you be tough, headstrong and sometimes nihilistic, but I've never once known you to be heartless."

"She could get run over by a truck and die and I'd dance on her grave."

"Doubt it."

"I would laugh in her face if her puppy died."

"You love dogs."

"If she got fucking kidnapped in front of me, I would bid good riddance to the damn bitch before lifting a finger to help her."

"Miryoku, you may hate her all you want, but I know if she's ever in trouble and you find yourself able to help her, you'll put all of this behind you to do so. It's just who you are."

"You think too highly of me, Mako."

"I think highly enough of you, Ryo," she said with finality and a pat to her arm. "And that will always be more than you think."

* * *

**That evening, 10:40pm — Tokyo, Third floor of the Peninsula Hotel.**

Hawks made sure that everything was in order for the gala with one last glance at himself in front of the mirrored door. Being suited in a slight tan tux accentuated with reds was somewhat uncomfortable to say the least. This truly wasn't his thing. Heaving a sigh, he let his wings spread lazy behind him as he plopped down on the nearby couch, his hands reaching up to untighten his tie a bit.

Throwing his head back, a stray lock coming undone from the slicked back style, he groaned audibly to be heard.

"What's with you now?"

Hawks didn't straighten when he heard Miruko's voice. With their hotel rooms next to one another and conjoined to boot, it was easy to leave the door open that separated them while the two finished getting ready for the lavish event. Though anybody would think them odd not to mention inappropriate for doing so, neither him nor Miruko cared in the least.

"You think they'll serve yakitori?"

"Doubt it." Miruko came in dashing as could be with her silver suit fitting just right. Definitely contrasted well with her skin tone too. He would have to admit that she was pulling the look off much better than he was. Turning to him, she gave his leg a playful kick that hurt all the same. "Why don't you leave if you're gonna be like this? You're gonna sour my night!"

Hawks chuckled at the insinuation as he rose from the couch. "I couldn't possibly do that, now, could I?"

"'Course you could! Just say 'fuck this' and don't go."

_Wish it were that easy, Mir._

But it wasn't, much less for him. He had an image to uphold. One that was suave and compliant with society and their expectations. They expected the No.3 hero of Japan to attend the party they were throwing to congratulate him as part of the top ten, so he would go regardless if he was in the mood to or not.

"Wanna skip?" she offered and pointed her thumb out towards the door behind her. "We can go grab a few cold ones and chill."

"And waste your tux?"

Miruko shrugged with that smirk of hers plastered on her face. "I'd actually be properly dressed to hit Lux for once."

Though the sound of their usual fancy nightclub sounded delightful, Hawks knew better than to cave to his desires. He took one long breath before shaking his head, "Some other time. We got a gala to go to tonight."

"Suit yourself."

The conversation was over sooner than he expected it to be, but it wasn't like he was displeased that it'd ended either. He hadn't wanted to fight this more than necessary. And Miruko understood that. Sometimes it amazed him how a mere acquaintance grew into an actual friendship after a bad breakup in the last odd years. Well, as much of a friendship as he could have, anyway.

Making their way out of the elevator and into the hotel's lobby, he stopped short when his feathers perked seconds before the flashes blinded him. _Who let them in here?_ His bet would be 'themselves' by how security was doing their damndest to keep them away from Miruko and him. Duty called, however, and he smiled their way with a wave of his hand. The cheers and swoons were enough to convince him he'd done the bare minimum to avoid any bad press for the night.

"Forget them. Let's go." Miruko never bothered with the media when she didn't feel like it. It was one of the many things he envied of her, but he brushed it aside to follow behind her as they headed into the private hall reserved for the gala.

Saying it was extravagant would've been an understatement. Those people from the commission spared no expenses whatsoever when it came to upping heroes' images in the public eye. He supposed that was why they allowed certain media reporters to attend the gala as well despite this being an event solely meant for heroes. _Great_, he thought sarcastically, already exhausted beyond belief. If they were there, there wouldn't be a chance to let his little charade slip anytime soon.

_It's only for a couple of hours,_ he told himself. _I'll book it after that and get some rest. Maybe a beer or two._ At the thought of that, his wings fell a little which forced him to roll his shoulders to brush off any suspicion of how he truly felt being there. He groaned under his breath as they finally made their way into the crowd of heroes that lingered about. A lovely waitress meandered while carrying a tray of champagne glasses of which he and Miruko took one as she passed by without missing a beat.

His amber gaze wandered to take in his surroundings as he took a small swig of his glass. More than half the hall was occupied with tables and chairs while the latter half left was free space before a small stage. Huh, just another show then. Despite how many times they proclaimed this was all for them to enjoy a night out, Hawks knew that this, along with the top ten countdown and briefings, were nothing more than blatant publicity catering to different media.

Just more fuel for that perpetual flame.

Without thinking, Hawks downed the glass of champagne as the lights dimmed. Miruko let out a whistle as All Might stepped onto the stage triggering the blinding lights from the reporter's cameras.

There wasn't a point in paying much attention to his speech. It wasn't that he didn't care. He did...just not particularly so at that very moment. He'd surely read about it online tomorrow anyway so there wouldn't be much to miss. Rolling his shoulders back to stretch his tired shoulder blades, Hawks heard them popping not long before his wings bumped into something.

Or more like someone.

"Oh, damn," he said under his breath before a chuckle escaped him as he turned to the person he'd inadvertently hit. "I'm sorry about that."

"You're fine. Nothing happened."

Amber eyes lingered for a moment on the woman that barely even turned his way as she said those words before turning away and heading straight to the back of the hall where the long table with the buffet laid ready. The bright red dress they wore made it quite easy to tell where they were headed, really. Just as he was about to dismiss it though, Miruko spun about while pushing aside his wing.

"Watch it, jackrabbit." By how wide her purple eyes were though, Hawks could tell that she hadn't listened to a word he'd just said. "Mirko?" No answer. "Usagiyama-san." Not a peep. Curious about the sudden change, he waved a hand in front of her face to no avail. She was completely lost to the world.

Suddenly those wide eyes narrowed a second before basically bulging out the next.

_What in the hell—_

Miruko shoved him aside as if he hadn't been there the whole time and made her way right after the red dressed woman, leaving him dumbfounded as she did so. An eyebrow of his raised at the rather uncharacteristic action. Was she drunk? No, not possible. That woman was an endless barrel where food and alcohol would disappear without a trace. Anything other than spicy food would never faze her. She hadn't been tired either. She'd suggested to hit Lux just before that and lord knew that if his intentions were to remain in that bar till daybreak, she was his best wingwoman.

_So what the hell gives, Mir?_

Unable to give up on his curiosity, Hawks followed behind Miruko as she gave chase after the woman in red.

* * *

**10:35 pm — Tokyo, Lobby of the Peninsula Hotel. **

_Kill me now, lord. Strike me with lightning if you have to. Just make it fast._

There wasn't any use praying. That much was clear to Miryoku the instant the elevator doors opened with a _ding_ as it reached the lobby from their floor.

If she had thought the billboard charts were a dull event, nothing could've prepared her for the media circus that the gala was. They weren't even _inside _the event hall and a crowd was already gathered outside the entrance and clutting the hallway. Holding tightly onto the badge that hung around her neck, she took a deep breath to dispel as much of her disinterest as humanly possible. Despite the sea of people vying for entrance, the security placed at the event hall's closed doors was doing a fine job keeping them away. It took little under ten minutes to get them through, but once inside, Miryoku swore that it'd gotten a tad bit more claustrophobic despite there being substantially less people in there.

"This is unbearable."

"Deal with it."

Sunset eyes gave Saori a sidelong glance and gave the petite woman's attire a check. _Cute. _Hey now, her personal distaste didn't mean that she couldn't see how well she fitted in these sort of events. The faded coral color of her long dress clung to her body well and the white heels she wore gave her enough height to reach just at Miryoku's chin. _Still shorter. _But there was no denying that she looked the part and played it quite well as she took the lead towards the crowd that gathered near the stage at the front of the hall.

Unlike her, Miryoku could barely take a step without feeling like she was missing air. For however much she loved Fuyumi, now more than ever she seriously thought about taking the girl to some nutritionist or something because the size of this dress at their age was just unbelievable. That girl's too damn skinny for her own good. But she was the true idiot in the end for having agreed to the dress to begin with. Makoto had done some fixing to the bust, so at the very least it didn't feel oddly ill-fitted there. All that was wrong now was how tightly it pressed her abdomen and hips. That and the fact that she wasn't all that accustomed to the style. The whole off-the-shoulder shtick she could deal with; the exposed back definitely left her more than a little uncomfortable. That she left her hair loose helped somewhat, the curls falling behind her with the left side of it being pinned back against her head covering her upper back. An audible sigh left her as she tried to breathe again only to feel her stomach hurt a little. Well, at least the heels weren't a problem despite being a good four inches. Thank god, for their work's dress code.

Reaching the crowd gathered around, she and Saori watched as the announcer from that morning—_goddamn, the lady can go on and on_—welcomed All Might to the stage. Miryoku clapped along the rest but used the time that the No.1 hero used up to give the place a gander. It wasn't half bad. It was actually pretty well decorated. And the waitresses walking around giving out champagne certainly made it all the more delightful. Before she could reach for one however, her hand got slapped by a gloved hand.

"Don't." Saori glared at her as the waitress walked away rather taken aback.

She could only return the gesture before saying, "It's one drink."

"Out of lord knows how many you've already taken?" Sunset eyes grew a bit wide at the stab but doubled down as another waitress walked by. This time she caught it but before she could take a swig, Saori nabbed it from her hand, returning it to another one that passed by.

Frustrated, Miryoku clicked her tongue and turned to Saori. "Okay, what the hell is your problem?"

"You. Being drunk."

"I'm not drunk."

"You spent three hours at the bar."

"You keep tabs on me now?"

"I pay attention. Especially when it happens to involve my _work._ Maybe you should learn to do the same."

"I do," Miryoku rectified. "But only on shit that matters. _This_ is a joke. And I'm not going to hide the fact that I couldn't care less about being here."

Finally, Saori clicked her own tongue, frustrated. "I can't believe you haven't been fired with that attitude."

"I'm not fired because I actually am worth something unlike you."

"One day you'll see how ruthless they are and that they won't care about how much your work is worth if you don't do as your told."

"And maybe one day _you'll_ realize how old it gets to lay down and let others take whatever they want from you."

"Not everything is that simple, Chimni."

"No," Miryoku deadpanned. "It's not."

Having had enough of their petty argument, Miryoku walked away from Saori before she would say something she would regret saying to her boss's daughter. Just as she was walking through the crowd and heading to the back where the buffet waited for her, something pushed her back against another person. Miryoku apologized under her breath as she took a moment to regain her balance on her heels.

Red blurred briefly in and out of her vision as a low voice sheepishly called out, "Oh damn, I'm sorry about that."

Miryoku didn't even bother looking up. All she managed to say was a quiet, "You're fine. Nothing happened," before turning back on the path that would take her to the table at the back.

Thankfully, because everybody was so focused on All Might's speech, there was basically no one in the back which left her a pretty much open bar for her choosing. It took less than a minute for her to fill a plate with food and place it down on the nearest table. Just as she was about to seat down, however, a hand brushed against her back and instantly sent her into a panic. Spinning about so quickly that it sent her hair whisking about with her in the air, sunset eyes grew wide the moment they met certain lilac eyes she remembered all too well.

"...Snow bunny?"

It completely went over her head that she could meet Rumi here.

Sure, they had kept contact over texts and online but Miryoku hadn't once met with her after she broke up with her. She couldn't do that to Rumi—make her believe there was a chance of their getting back together when there wasn't. Contacting her was crossing that line a little and she knew as much but she surmised that her engagement would put a damper on Rumi's hopes and make it safe to contact her.

_Kinda useless now that that's off._

And very much inconvenient.

Amazingly enough, Rumi was still the same despite the years they'd been apart. It was almost like turning five years back in the blink of an eye in some sense. Rumi was a dashing hero still. Almost the same one that had met with Miryoku after a rescue for an interview. It'd been her new break, that article. One that at least got her a good scholarship abroad sometime afterward. But the few months they'd gone out had been very much good ones, she'd admit.

"_Why then?"_ Miryoku flinched at how she could still recall Rumi's quiet plea the day she broke it off with her.

_You deserve better._

The reason hadn't changed, and it wouldn't be changing now simply because they met face-to-face after so long.

Smiling kindly her way, Miryoku bowed her head to greet her. "Congratulations on climbing to the 12th rank, Miruko-san. If you continue on, you'll surely be in the top ten by the end of the year."

"_That's _what you open with after all this time?"

She took a moment to compose herself before saying, "Don't be so dramatic. It's not like we haven't talked."

"Which you only did _after_ I asked you."

"I didn't think you'd want to talk after what I did. So I didn't."

"Don't give me that crap."

Those lilac eyes narrowed a bit as her ears visibly dropped against her head. _Good_. Despite not wanting to hurt her, that she was disillusioned now would brace her for the inevitable disappointment.

"It was good seeing you, Miruko-san, but I have work to do. I hope you have a pleasant rest of your evening."

Rumi however wasn't as accepting of her dismissal. Stepping closer, she reached her hand out as if intending to grab Miryoku, but just as she was about to, a hand grabbed her arm and stopped her in her tracks. Wide sunset eyes followed that arm up to the one that stopped her and gasped. Bright amber and flashy red caught her attention as large wings cradled themselves against Hawks' back.

"Whoa there, jackrabbit." His eyes glanced at Rumi before turning to glance at Miryoku, the action catching her slightly off guard as within seconds that blank look was replaced with a smile. "Looks like we're drowning in coincidences, aren't we, Chimni-san?"

Rumi's eyes narrowed as she gave him a sidelong glare. "You know her?"

"She interviewed me for JPW some days ago."

"Bullshit if you tell me you remember a single reporter," Rumi growled.

"But it's true," Miryoku pointedly said in an attempt to downplay the situation. "I'm just some journalist that interviewed him. That's all."

Hawks chuckled as if to play along. "And one that got oddly hung with _very_ out of line questions during this afternoon's briefing."

Just as Miryoku opened her mouth intending to discredit that as much as she could, she jumped back a bit when Rumi forcefully took back her arm from Hawks' grasp.

"Leave, Hawks. I'm in the middle of something."

_Oh no._

Miryoku knew that tone. It had been five years since she last heard it but it was hard to forget it when it'd been one Rumi used to intimidate others into doing what she wanted. It wasn't ever against her, but she absolutely hated how that domineering tone subconsciously made her skin crawl. And when it got that deep with the added bonus of her ears perking up and feet furiously tapping against the floor the way they were, it was never a good sign for the other party involved.

Hawks didn't seem deterred in the least however as he smiled and said, "Mm...I think not, jackrabbit."

This time when he tried pulling her away, Miruko retaliated by taking a hold of his wrist with her free hand. Suddenly both stood at a nerve wracking standstill. "Back off."

_Fuck!_ Jumping in without a second thought, Miryoku took hold of both their wrists wanting to dissipate a situation that was so obviously and rapidly escalating.

"R-Rumi-san, please, calm down."

"Listen to her, Miruko." For as much as that smile could try to fool her that he was just playing along with her, the way his voice lowered an octave told her a completely different story. "Don't make a scene out of this."

Miruko bared her teeth then, "You're the one making it a scene."

"You both are," Miryoku corrected before finally prying their hands off of each other. Turning into a literal middleman, she placed herself between them, pushing away Hawks' wings to make space for herself before turning to Miruko. "Rumi-san, if you keep doing this, I won't talk with you anymore."

"Don't threaten me," Miruko barked back.

"Then stop this," she retorted firmly. "And for goodness sake, act your age. We're not highschoolers anymore, so stop being so childish about this."

Lilac eyes grew wide as her ears shot up straight clearly offended. "I'm not—"

"You are," Hawks said peeking from behind Miryoku.

Fuming, Miryoku spun on her heels to regard Hawks now with a restrained hiss. "And could _you_ be quiet for a moment, please?"

Hawks pointed at himself with a hapless expression. "I'm trying to help."

"I'd rather you not!"

"Chimni? What's going on?"

For once, Miryoku was glad to hear Saori's annoying chipmunk voice. _Oh, thank you lord!_ Breathing a sigh of relief, she spun on her heels to face her coworker, completely disregarding the utter look of confusion that Saori's furrowed brow gave away. Skipping out from between the two heroes, Miryoku took Saori by the shoulders before excusing themselves.

"W-What's going on?!"

Miryoku didn't bother answering her. Saori, baffled as she was, could barely keep up with her as she pushed her along through the crowd. Not knowing where else to go, she snuck into the bathroom with Saori, quickly checking for anybody in the stalls before taking her phone out of her small handbag.

"What are you doing now?"

"Calling Kojirou-san." Dialing one of the few numbers she kept on speedial, Miryoku held it to her ear and let the tone ring as she paced the fancy bathroom.

"What for?"

_To bail the fuck out of here._

Miryoku refrained from telling her that, waiting instead for her boss to pick up his phone. But to her dismay, it went straight to voicemail. She cursed under her breath as it beeped.

"Alright, I'm gonna be succinct about this. I forfeit what I won last week and I'll take the punishment you dish out for what I'm about to do because I am not staying a minute longer in this event. Call me up later and yell at me if you want, but I'm leaving."

"You're what!?"

Locking her phone and not looking back at Saori as she threw a fit, Miryoku stepped out of the bathroom and made a beeline for the exit. Thankfully, with how everybody else was already inside the hall, there was no one outside to crowd the lobby anymore. Certainly made it easier for her to make her way towards the elevator. Her foot tapped incessantly as she watched the numbers above the elevator door flicking by with no signs of stopping. Impatience won her over within seconds though and with a click of her tongue, spun on her heels and headed for the stairs. She pushed through the heavy door and began the climb to the fifth floor where their rooms were at. Before long, however, the door opened again and she froze halfway up the second flight of stairs. Peering over the banister with her heart in her throat, Miryoku heaved a long sigh of relief when she only spotted Saori's pink dress.

"Go back, Saori!" she shouted from where she was before continuing her climb.

"Have you gone mental!?" The blonde's screech reached her ears even with one and a half flights of stairs separating them. "You can't just leave!"

"Watch me!"

"No, Chimni! Chimni! Miryoku, you can't just run away from work!"

"It ain't even mine." Grumbling that under her breath, Miryoku pushed through the fifth floor's staircase exit and found herself at the end of their hall a bit out of breath. It took a moment for her to ground herself, but when she did she made a straight line for their room, already fishing through her handbag for her keycard.

The little red light turning green the instant she passed the card over the door's lock was way more calming than it should've been. She breathed at last relieved now that she was inside their shared room, but just as she was about to close the door behind herself, another pushed through. Miryoku dismissed Saori when she went off on a tirade the very moment the petite woman came through the door.

"You can't just leave like that, Miryoku! They'll reprimand you regardless of your position."

Miryoku kicked off her heels, not caring where they landed. "Don't care."

"They'll fire you!"

She scoffed. "Fine, let them. I'll find another job."

"Why are you being so stubborn about this? Why did you run?"

"It doesn't involve you."

"Like hell it does. It's getting in between _our_ jobs."

"Drop it." She stepped around her discarded heels and busied herself with taking off her jewelry starting with her earrings when Saori stepped in front of her to stop her in her tracks. Sick of her bullshit, Miryoku clicked her tongue as she tossed her jewelry onto the bed behind her without looking back. "Move, Saori."

"No." She grounded herself further to drive her point home which only had Miryoku scowling in the end. Before she could cuss her off, Saori stepped up to her, essentially getting rid of any space between them as she glared up at Miryoku. "Forget about you being out of line just now. I'm more taken aback by how you reacted and it worries me."

"Lying won't get you anywhere."

"Believe what you want, but the way you acted does worry me. I may not know you as well as Tsukauchi-san but it's obvious to anybody who saw your interaction with Miruko-san that something about her bothered you."

_Yeah, the history there._

Miryoku restrained from voicing her thoughts aloud though and bit her lip to keep from talking.

Frankly, a part of her wasn't even sure what the hell she was freaking out about. They had ended things fairly well, or at least as well as could be expected. Miryoku knew Rumi hadn't wanted to end their relationship, but she couldn't force herself to be in such a partnership when she herself wasn't sure what she wanted out of it. She liked it for what it had been—a pleasant experience for being her first 'serious' relationship—but she never meant it to be anything long term. Rumi was a hero and Miruoku wasn't going to thrust herself in the spotlight by being a hero's partner.

Their age disparity looked to be the right excuse to break things up then. And despite Rumi's doggedness not to accept it, Miryoku got her to understand that it was the right thing to do for both of them. So she backed off. It really hadn't been until almost a year and a half ago that Rumi contacted her again.

And Miryoku used the excuse of her engagement to reply.

Both Fuyumi and Makoto completely disagreed with her decision but since they couldn't change what had already been done, they left her to her own devices. The sane part of her told her that it wasn't a good idea back then. That the best thing to do was to make her understand that there wasn't a chance of them getting back together and that there wasn't a point in keeping in contact unless all she wanted from her was an _actual _friendship. But the anxious and cornered part of her that back then had been steadily growing, rejected her own sanity. So she kept in contact. The only thing both sides agreed on was that face-to-face contact was not to happen.

_So much for that._

"Well?"

Instantly, she clicked her tongue at her continuous grilling. And frankly, it was becoming a little hard keeping a straight face in front of Saori who seemed to want to squeeze every last detail out of her. Thankfully, the gremlin was petite enough to easily push aside for her to escape into the confines of the single bathroom in their room. Miryoku locked the door before she even slammed it shut. Almost instantly, Saori banged her fists against the door and shouted for her to open the door. Ignoring her completely and turning on the faucet, Miryoku leaned against the sink for a moment as she let herself take a breather. Her gaze wandered as she did so and stopped short when she spotted something. There aside from the toiletries the hotel provided and the ones they'd brought along was something that didn't fit in at all.

A black flashlight.

It wasn't hers, and there wasn't a chance that Saori would ever bring something like that along with her. A bad feeling crawled down her back and made her unlock the door, only pausing briefly when she realized that Saori's banging had stopped. Opening the door back up again, the first thing she saw was the bleakness of Saori's face. It was drained of color with eyes wide as they focused on the door. Sunset eyes glanced at it long enough to see the knob turning before panic set in.

"Get over here." Hissing under her breath, she pulled Saori back into the bathroom and promptly locked the door behind themselves. Ear pressed against the door, she listened carefully for who had just entered the room that was supposedly only for the two of them.

"...heard something…"

"...saw a couple of women..."

"...they're in here still…"

Men. At least three of them. And they didn't sound friendly in the least. Hearing Saori hyperventilate when she too could hear those voices over the silence, she shushed her as calmly as she could. Miryoku patted her heels and had her slowly take them off before leading her into the bathtub and closing the curtain as quietly as possible.

Both jumped and Saori let out a small gasp when they heard a small commotion coming from the other side of the door. They were searching for them, that much was clear, but it wasn't until they overheard the static of a radio and some voice ring through it that Miryoku realized why.

"Did you find Hanazawa's brat?"

"We found the room she's staying in. She wasn't in when we came a few hours ago but we just spotted two women enter the room. She's in here somewhere."

Sunset eyes instantly turned to Saori's as her pink eyes widened. All Saori could do as the conversation on the other side continued was reach out for Miryoku's hands.

"Better be quick. The boss is getting impatient."

Instinctively, Miryoku held onto her hands tight. They were there for Saori, and by the sound of things, it wasn't even _her_ they wanted. Rummaging through the limited information she had in her head, a reason came to mind which made her whisper to Saori as quietly as possible.

"The gambling rumors about your father...are they true?" Saori's eyes flashed between the door's direction and back at her before nodding vigorously. "How much did he lose?"

"More than we have—ah!"

Miryoku tried covering Saori's mouth when the sudden noise outside the door scared her but she'd been too slow. Banging started up right at their door and Miryoku couldn't keep Saori from freaking out on her then. Sweeping the curtain open now that their hideout was discovered, she looked around the small bathroom for something to protect themselves as she called out to Saori.

"Where's your phone?"

"I-It's on the bed!" she cried over the banging and rattling of the door that only became louder when they heard them talking now.

_Shit, mine too. _So much for having it on her all the time. Rushing through their options, she picked up the heavy flashlight.

It'd have to do.

**But what if it isn't enough? **

More often than not, Miryoku tended to ignore the nihilistic voice in her brain. One she thought therapy had dealt with. _Guess not._ But there was no denying that it had a point. It was two women against three men, _at least._ If what she theorized was true and they were there because of Saori's father's supposed loan shark debt, then god knew what kind of people they were, much less the types of Quirks they had. It was tough to admit that no matter what angle she looked at this from, they were on the losing side.

And though she wasn't about to let them take her without a fight, Miryoku knew better than to only have one plan. It wasn't until she busied herself with pushing Saori as far back from the door and behind her as possible that she saw Saori's hand holding onto her dress.

Her left hand where a gold mark circled her wrist with interspaced diamonds.

All at once, sunset eyes grew wide. _It could work._ Turning to her, Miryoku held Saori's face between her hands to get her full attention.

"Listen to me and listen closely." Pink eyes on the verge of tears lifted, plump lips trembling as her whole body shook along with it. "Use your Quirk."

* * *

**11:07 pm — Tokyo, Bar in the Peninsula Hotel. **

Drunk Miruko sometimes was Fun Miruko. But when Drunk Miruko mixed with Melancholic Miruko, things got a little too heavy for Hawks to deal with. And here he thought that this whole thing had been dealt with years ago. Guess she was still hung up on the girl from the look of things. Now that he finally had a face and name to go with the stories Miruko drunkenly told him, a part of him could see how she was still so hung up on her too. At least where looks were concerned.

_What a small world._

_Very_ small.

To think that the same woman that so happened to interview him and that he so happened to save from a convenience store mugging would be the same woman that had his buddy drinking the bad memories away now. Though Hawks could see the irony of it all, he didn't think that Miruko would be up to hearing the usual snark from him now. So instead, he watched from his seat beside her as Miruko downed her fifth beer in the last twenty minutes. With the rim of his own bottle pressed against his lips, he watched over her, wondering how long this bout of melancholy would turn out to be. His bet was on an hour or two. He jumped a bit when he heard her sniffle.

_Maybe three._

Hating the silence after she downed it and asked for another, Hawks took a swig of his own before settling down with his wings to either side to keep from being stepped on.

"So she's the infamous 'snow bunny', huh?"

"Not in the mood."

A grin came to him when he heard that. It was progress that she was at least talking to him now. At least that she wasn't insulting him nonstop was, anyway. It was good that he knew to calm her down with some booze. He thanked god that he'd spotted the bar after dragging her out of the event hall when she couldn't pull herself together.

"Y'know, I don't understand why you're so upset. There shouldn't be a reason for you to have reacted like that."

Hawks' wings sprung taut against his back when he saw Miruko wanting to rise from her seat, but when she simply groaned and downed the new beer she was given, his wings fell back to either side.

"I'm an idiot."

"Glad we agree on something."

"She probably hates me now."

"Certainly wouldn't blame her if she stopped talking to you after tonight."

Finally fed up with his comments, lilac eyes glared back at him. "Are you even _trying _to help?"

"Not particularly." He shrugged his shoulders as he busied himself with undoing his tie and the few top buttons of his dress shirt.

"What a friend you turned out to be."

"I'm not giving you the right just because you threw a tantrum, jackrabbit. That little lady and you are and have been history for a while now. She shouldn't have to answer to you anymore than you should to her. Especially when you started getting rough like that." Downing the rest of his tepid beer, he scoffed as he touched his index finger against his thumb. "One simply does not raise their hand at a woman."

"I wasn't going to hit her, you idiot."

"No, but you were going to grab her." Noticing how her ears twitched before lowering against her head, he grimaced at finding he'd seen through her correctly. "And she certainly didn't look like she wanted to talk or go with you, Miruko."

"I messed up."

He patted her back a couple of times. "Yes, you did."

Out of the blue, Hawks scooted back on his stool when Miruko jumped out of hers, her large rabbit feet thumping loudly against the tiled floor of the bar. His wings spread behind him from the surprise and he let himself slide off his stool as Miruko looked determinedly his way.

"I'm gonna find her and apologize!"

Hawks covered his ears at how loudly she'd proclaimed that but chuckled at her damn stubbornness. At least now it was directed at something good. His feathers sensing a rush outside the bar made his amber eyes peer outside where he caught sight of a familiar red dress. A grin started to pull at his lips as he thought to himself how lucky Miruko was, but stopped short and became a taut line instead when all he sensed with his feathers was panicked voices as the subject of their conversation spoke to the front desk.

Not liking how this was looking, Hawks took to the air, hovering just enough above the floor to make it easy for him to fly his way to the front desk. Both the receptionist and Miryoku turned shocked at Hawks' sudden appearance but he brushed it aside as he landed beside them and saw Miryoku's expression full of panic and concern.

"What's the matter?"

Miryoku spoke up over the receptionist that appeared to be too shocked to even speak. "They took Saori."

Miruko skidded to a stop as she ran to them, eyes narrowed at what she overheard. "Who took who?"

"My coworker—someone kidnapped her. We were up in our room when—" Her eyes darted frantically between them and her left hand as she explained, her words rather scattered as she tried composing herself. "Men—I don't know how but they came into our room. We hid in the bathroom but they found us."

"Are you alright?" Miruko asked, stepping forward and reaching for the same bruising in her arm that Hawks spotted when he'd gotten closer.

Miryoku however slapped her away, eyes wide and panicked as she turned to them both with a glare. "Forget about me. They took her!"

"T-That's not possible," the receptionist said, finally getting her voice back. "Security is all around the lobby. They would've seen—"

"Back entrance," Miryoku instantly blurted out. "I chased them and got as far as the back entrance before one of them spotted me."

"Our security system didn't go off. There's just no way—"

"Fucking tell that to the beating I got trying to stop them, lady!"

Miryoku was furious and quite fidgety by the look of things. What bothered Hawks most, though, was how she kept averting her eyes to her left wrist. Instinctively, a red feather of his left his wings and circled her wrist to finally bring it forward in full view. Amber eyes narrowed on the gold diamond-ring circling her wrist as it pulsated. The color drained from the diamonds slowly like ticking sand and made him all the more suspicious that something more was going on that she was telling.

"What is this and why do you keep looking at it?"

Sunset eyes widened and her lips pursed as she took her wrist back with his feather still around it. She took one last gander at it before she eyed his feather and took it in her grasp. Her eyes widened at suddenly realizing something.

"You use these as blades."

"Answer my question." He was starting to lose his patience and she wasn't helping by being so cryptic.

It took her another moment to say anything, but not before gripping his crimson feather tight in her hand. "It's Saori's Quirk, Exchange." Lifting her wrist, she showed him the markings as their color depleted. "I have more or less 60 seconds before she and I exchange places."

Amber eyes went wide at the declaration and taken aback by it as he was, it was fortunate that Miruko was there to react for both of them.

"You're going to what?!"

Miryoku shook her head as her eyes went down to the mark around her wrist. "No use getting angry. Listen. I told her to stay as calm as she could and pay attention. She'll have some idea of where they took her. Once she tells you, you'll be able to find where they are and come get me. I'll try to buy some time until you do, so—"

"You realize you'll be in danger until we do, right?"

Even as he voiced this rather obvious point, he could tell that she already knew this. The way her eyes averted and how her lips pursed told him as much. Even so, the words that spilled from her lips contradicted everything her body was telling him. With a lopsided grin lifting the edges of her lips, Hawks' eyes narrowed at the tight grip on his feather.

"Then I hope your namesake isn't just for show, precocious man."

Her image flickered seconds before she disappeared only to be replaced by another woman. Almost instantly, she fell to her knees while coughing violently with everything from her neck up soaking wet. Both Miruko and Hawks dropped down with her, Miruko catching her before she could fall down completely and Hawks holding her arm to have her attention.

"Breathe." Once she could do that much, he went straight to the point, his pupils dilating as he forced his wings to steel behind him—including the one that felt much too far away at. "Now tell us where they took you."

* * *

**11:21 pm — Tokyo, —.**

Miryoku took a deep breath and instantly swallowed water. Her lungs burned at the liquid's intrusion but before she could take another instinctive gasp, the liquid surrounding her head splashed loudly onto the floor around her. Falling to her knees coughing, it took her a moment to compose herself as gruff voices she recognized argued over one another.

"What the—"

"Where's Hanazawa's brat?"

"Fucking bitch used her Quirk."

"Wait, isn't this…?" There wasn't enough time for her to push back the man that grabbed her roughly by her jaw to lift her face. Coughing still, Miryoku stared into dark, narrowed eyes as the man glared at her. "This is that damn woman we found with Hanazawa."

Bickering ensued that Miryoku tried deciphering but couldn't when the man holding her jaw jerked her to focus on him. It disgusted her the way the man looked at her, his eyes roaming over her making her skin crawl. So absorbed was she with how his attention was placed solely on her that she didn't notice the other two men approach them.

"Where's Hanazawa Saori?"

"At the Billboard Charts gala. _Surrounded_ by heroes." Miryoku spat at them with as much venom as she could, but her words seemed to do more than her tone did.

Almost instantly the men groaned and cursed loudly. Jerking her jaw away from the man as they bemoaned their current situation, Miryoku tried getting away but was stopped by the same black-eyed man when he snatched her arm and brought her back down.

"What are we gonna do now?" he asked, looking away at the one who looked to be their leader.

Miryoku struggled in his grasp, feeling the tight grip starting to hurt as his fingers dug into her skin. It infuriated her that struggle as she might, there wasn't any prying his filthy hand off of her.

"Their little stunt screwed us over for the night. There's no way we're bringing Hanazawa in if she's at the gala again."

The other man groaned. "Fuck man, I thought for sure we'd get that bonus."

"Don't worry, you'll get the cash. That man ain't paying off his debts anytime soon."

"What about the woman?" the dark-eyed man asked.

The one who looked to be leading them eyed Miryoku for a moment and then back at the man who'd asked. "Heroes might be on their way now. Take her out. And don't fuck around. Make it quick so we can leave on the double."

Her blood froze over at the command. But nothing did her worse than the instant the black-eyed man turned to her and that look of his turned into a leer that stopped her heart with fear and recognition.

Blood rushing and breath hitching, Miryoku reacted the moment flashbacks turned her livid. Her free hand grasped the sharp crimson feather in her hand before stabbing the man's arm. Taking advantage of their stupefaction, Miryoku dashed to the closest cover she could find which turned out to be a tall stack of crates and headed further into where she was. Behind her, she could hear the man cursing at her and their leader ordering the others to catch and kill her.

It was hard keeping her heart from bursting out of her chest now with that target on her head but Miryoku knew now wasn't the time to panic. Now more than ever, she needed to keep her cool and think. Sunset eyes frantically scanned her surroundings taking in everything and anything that could aid her. As she threaded through the maze of stacked crates and with the scent of salted water hitting her nostrils, the sea came to mind. That and the sight of countless crates upon crates gave her an idea of where she could be. _A dock warehouse?_ It was the only thing that made sense to her in the moment. How the hell they got Saori to one in the short 10 minutes it took her to reach the lobby and warn the heroes of the kidnapping was beyond her.

_That's useless, Ryo. Think. Buy them time._

Stopping short behind one of the stacks of crates, she let herself listen for the men as they searched for her, their heavy footsteps telling her more or less where they were coming from. She calmed her breathing enough to notice that one of them was somewhat nearby and only getting closer. Heavy footsteps fell on the concrete floor and as she stared down at her own feet, an idea came to her as she thanked her lucky stars that she thought of putting her shoes back on before leaving her room. Quick to shed her heels, Miryoku waited until she saw the man turn the corner to lurch at him with her heeled shoe aloft. One heel dug disgustingly easily into his shoulder and his sudden shock gave her the opportunity to strike him with the other on his leg as deep as she could before running away again. Now barefoot, her steps were much quieter, but that left her with one less thing to work with.

While turning a corner, the sudden sensation of water brushing against her arms caught her enough by surprise Miryoku to gasp for air a second before water bubbled around her head. Eyes wide open, she spotted the leader with their hand aloft through the muddled view seeing through water gave her. Even when she tried running in the opposite direction, the bubble remained and within seconds left her short of breath, falling to her knees as she clawed at her throat.

"Just die already."

A pang came across the palm of her hand before a flash of red shot from below her and straight through the man's chest. The water bubble instantly dropped allowing her the much needed air that she gasped wholly. The man dropped before her, moaning from his pain, and though the floating feather surprised her, it also gave her some much needed relief. Searching about with a smile for whom she hoped was there turned it quickly into nothing but dread when she realized that Hawks wasn't really there. He had controlled his feather somehow though. He'd been aware of what was happening enough to know where to strike. Which meant that he must be close enough to allow his Quirk to do that.

**But he's not here yet. **

"There you are."

Dread sent her running, not wasting time in turning back to see who it'd been that had found her now. Skidding deeper into the warehouse, she squeezed herself through the narrow spaces where she hoped they wouldn't be able to reach her. It wasn't until she reached the deepest part of the path she followed into a dead end that she knew there wasn't much else to do except wait. Standing with her back against the crates and with the path she'd entered through right in front of her, Miryoku waited with bated breath.

For a moment there was silence. Then, out of the blue, the breaking of crates nearby shocked her enough to cry out loud. The man's laughter rang inside the warehouse as more crashing came.

"Come out, missy!"

Miryoku recognized the black-eyed man's voice far too easily. Another crash interrupted him as she clasped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming and giving herself away anymore.

One after another, crates were destroyed, but just as suddenly as it'd started, the noise stopped. Her hectic breathing now sounded louder than anything as she breathed through her nose, tears practically pricking at the corners of her eyes as she saw something move in front of her.

A shadow—the man's shadow—flashed across the small opening she'd squeezed through with him passing by shortly after. Miryoku held her breath the moment she saw his shadow and watched wide eyed as he passed through with heavy footsteps pounding in his wake. It wasn't until he passed that Miryoku dared to breathe. However, it hitched once more when she saw his shadow's head turn and swirl in through the narrow space. As if manifesting through it, the man walked out of his own shadow with a smirk on his face.

"There you are. Now, let's have some fun, shall we?"

In a futile attempt to escape, Miryoku tried to run but got snatched by her hair as the man yanked her up to stand before him. Yelping from the pain, she stood there in front of him, tears spilling as she tried prying his hands from her hair. Without warning, the man ripped at her dress before grabbing her jaw again and crashing his lips against hers. Sunset eyes grew at the contact but as soon as she felt them, she bit down as hard as she could. The man shouted in pain before throwing her against the grates with his shadow responding in kind and bursting out, destroying the little alcove and sending her flying back against another stack.

Vision a bit blurry, Miryoku sat up with her whole body aching as the man prowled towards her. It was just instinct now that made her scoot backward as far from him as she could. But something stopped her suddenly. Like vines growing out of the ground, black tendrils wrapped around her arms, legs and body to pin her in place. Miryoku cried when nothing she did could pry them off of her, but stopped when the sound of those heavy footsteps came closer.

Dark eyes narrowed into a glare, he wiped at his bleeding lip before he spat out blood. "Enough fucking around."

Shadows clad around his hand like claws as he prepared to pounce her—

Only to be stopped in his tracks by flashes of red that made her breath hitch. Both turned in the direction the flashes came from to find giant crimson wings spreading overhead as Hawks landed at the warehouse's entrance.

"...found you."

Despite hearing this, sunset eyes watched cautiously as the man slowly lowered his shadow-clad arm with a smirk still spread across his face. Noticing something wasn't right, she turned back to where Hawks stood just in time to see the one other man she'd hurt coming from behind some crates.

Her gasp died in her throat when everything just _happened_.

It shocked her how quickly he dealt with a man he hadn't even seen as if he'd known since the beginning he was there. With a brandishing of his wing, feathers shot towards the man behind him, pinning him against the far off wall high above the ground. But as that all ensued, Miryoku watched in horror as the black-eyed man sunk into his shadow and rushed towards the winged hero.

Terror bloomed in her chest at what she could only watch unfold.

_No! There's _**something **_I can do._

It hit her then like nothing before had. Her fingers absently touched her lips for a mere moment before she took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"**STOP!"**

Burning.

Almost instantly it hit her lips when the shadow man stopped mid lurch, claw outstretched to attack. Hawks watched with narrowed eyes, feathers already piercing the guy when everything about him seemed to freeze over at Miryoku's command.

Sensing a mild ache already growing at the back of her head, she stood from where she was and stared ahead at the two that stood at a standstill. Red and blue lights flashed in the dark as they approached the warehouse and as she heard the ruckus outside from the police as they approached, she sighed in relief. With them here, there wasn't a need to hold onto her control anymore.

"Fucking hell…" The man's voice caught her off guard as he turned toward her despite the feathers piercing through him. Shock and terror mixed as they came across her face at the crazed-eyed look on his face full of what she couldn't help but describe as lustful. One much worse than the leering from before. But nothing caught her more off guard than the dark purple tint now coloring his lips. "Just let me **fuck you** already!"

Miryoku covered her ears instantly and shouted, "Shut up!" He listened obediently and without her asking him to, knelt down completely disregarding the hero and police rushing in behind him. She shook as those eyes grew wider awaiting her command. Shutting her eyes, Miryoku simply said, "Undo your Quirk and turn yourself in peacefully."

He did as he was told but as he undid his shadows, he spoke shouted. "I'll take you then!?"

_Obsession._ _Control. Lust…for power._

Miryoku couldn't help the emotions that ravaged through her head as the police rushed in and tackled the man to the ground to handcuff him. Shaking her head, she furiously brushed her hand across her mouth to wipe away the nasty color from them, leaving her trembling in place as the officers took the other two culprits and cuffed them as well.

Just as she was sure that her legs would give beneath her, a sudden warmth came over her as something covered her from the cold that rushed in from the sea. Opening her eyes, all she saw was the bright crimson of downy feathers.

"It's alright. I've got you. Let me take you to the ambulance outside."

Her reply was almost automatic at that point as she wrapped her arms around her to keep her tattered dress in place. "I don't need an ambulance." Her voice was quiet as she said this. And despite how much a part of her shouted to listen, another much smaller yet louder one told her otherwise.

"Yes, you do."

It amazed her how quiet and composed he sounded. The warmness from his wings coming closer to her back urging her to go without pushing her wasn't missed on her either.

"Chimni…-san?"

The sound of Saori's voice snapped her a little out of her stupor. Lifting her head, crimson wings lowered in time for her to watch as two familiar figures came in from the entrance where the officers had come in through. Saori, accompanied by Miruko, came to stand before her completely disheveled and with a blanket around her shoulders. She looked utterly normal for once—scared, panicked and completely out of her element. A piece of her was glad she wasn't hurt—thankful even—but unexpected rage came to life far too easily along with it and instantly ignited her vitriol.

Stepping out of the warmth of those feathers, Miryoku made her way through the heroes and the girl that got her in this mess in the first place.

"You're lucky Makoto was right."

Saori's brow furrowed at the strange comment, but Miryoku shook her head as she spotted the medics heading in. Knowing there was no running away from them now, she sighed defeatedly. Just as she took the few steps towards the medics, she glared over her shoulder at Saori.

"Tell your father to pay off his fucking loansharks. Or learn to defend yourself. Whichever damn suits you but do it. 'Cause there might not be someone to help you next time, Saori."

* * *

_Chimni Miryoku._

_Quirk — Lilith's Charm._

_When her lips touch another's skin, she is able to immensely amplify the emotions the person has towards her. The sole mark of her kiss on the person matches the color of her lips, a hue that originates from the person and represents their connection. It can intensify emotions to the point of changing them into their extremes._

_Mild annoyance to hostility. Petty distaste to antipathy. Passing jealousy to obsession. _

_And unconditional love to lust._

* * *

**A/N:**

***deep inhale***

**I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! HERE'S A SUPER DUPER LONG CHAPTER TO MAKE UP FOR IT!**

***dies***

**but really this could've easily been 2 chapters but i was like 'forget it, i ain't making this a two-parter' so ta-da~! But holy crap this is one of the longest chapters i've written in a long while. Ah...the good times of 20k+ chapters -w-)**

**Anyway, the whole intro arc is over! (little details notwithstanding). In this one in particular there's a bunch of info but the one i wanted to tell the most was her Quirk. It took me a while to come up with a concrete and short definition that wouldn't give away too much while leaving enough space for your little minds to speculate.**

**Speaking of which! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYBODY! We're barely two chapters in and this story is already getting so much love and i just can't aaskdhflaskjdfhasjdhf. But really thank you to all of you who favorited and followed. **

**That includes **_You Are So Wonk, Rynxenvy, always8567, Yuudie, 4plywhenicry, Genderbend1920, LiLy Resh, Warbreaker, SlyLupus, kani-leek-lover, LovelyFandomLover, Razzle162, Shiovaun, Fineapple13, Innocent Anime Girl, Spectre8, Fraise-Kiwi, Crystal Jade147, Lemurmur, salports779 _and _Nai0310_.

**For those of you who reviewed, I loved you too and ty, ty, ty! You all had me writing everyday for all this time wanting to bring more content to you!**

_PrettyKitty Luvs U_**: tysm (TwT ) I love writing Hawks and I'm super happy you enjoy reading how I write him. And yes! Another Fuyumi fan! I love that girl. Best sister ever!**

_Aviantei:_ **I'm getting through classes just great, Avi! (actually uploading this the night before an exam xD) I've wanted to write a more adult story in the bnha universe since I started imaging Miryoku and I'm happy you like the idea as much as I did about how those other aspects of the universe could work too. And yes, another Fuyumi-stan for the basket! **

_Rynxenvy:_ **Here's some more cute Hawks and some serious Hawks as extra, as well! I think we all need some happy Hawks after Hori-sensei left us to hang after that one chapter (no spoilers x3) And same, specially after one of the official sketches that cames out, I love the idea more than ever of Hawks and Miruko being buddy buds. I've gotten into that train and I'm never coming down, bby! **

_LovelyFandomLover:_** Really happy to hear that you're enjoying the structure! I changed it around from another story i'm writing and it really helped to pace this chapter more than anything! **

_Guest: _**TYSM! (/)**

**ALL OF YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST! I'm so happy to know that all of you enjoy reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! **

**i'll leave ya'll be now. I've gotta wake up early to study some more before my exam. Wish me luck! And as always I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you stay tuned for the next update! Stay safe and healthy during these times!  
**

**Till next time,**

**\- **_**Evie**_


	4. Dependency

_**Took me a bit, but it's here! Enjoy~!**_

* * *

_**Interview with a Winged Hero**_

**Chapter Four:**

Dependency

* * *

"We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in their place."

— **Daniel J. Boorstin**

* * *

**Present day, morning — Tokyo Hospital**

It ached. Mildly, but still.

"You may put your arm down."

Miryoku did as the doctor told her while covering her side back up where a huge bruise had started forming overnight. According to him, there wouldn't be any lasting effects other than the pain. She'd been tossed around pretty heftily but other than that she'd be able to leave that morning.

"Great. They kind of need me at work," she joked around, putting on a loose, over-the-shoulder shirt over her tank top—a change courtesy of one of Makoto's late-night runs.

Though her friend had wanted to stay until she was well enough to leave, the staff didn't let her. She wasn't family, after all, and only relatives could stay overnight as guests. Makoto left with her tail between her legs, something Miryoku tried to relieve by asking her if she could watch over Junji for the night while she stayed.

"I would suggest you forgo work for a couple of days until you recover more. It might not hurt as much now because of the medication you're on, but it'll become a little worse once we change you to the painkillers you'll take home with you."

"Oh." She adjusted her belt around the borrowed pants before tilting her head. "But I'll be discharged today, right?"

"Yes, you're pretty much set to go, Chimni-san. All we need to officially close your visit would be the blood tests."

Miryoku froze. "Blood tests? What blood tests?"

"They're required in any villain-related incident."

"Are they really necessary?" she asked with a chuckle. "It's not like you're going to find anything substantial. I already told the police those guys didn't give me anything. If anything at all, you'll just find my alcohol levels a bit elevated."

"I was made aware of your statement to them. And we truly don't expect to find anything other than what you claimed. It's just protocol. I hope you understand."

"Y-Yeah, no problem." With that last bit of their conversation done with, the doctor left the room, leaving Miryoku to mull over what she'd just heard.

"Fucking hell…"

They wouldn't find it. It's not like it was something checked regularly in blood works anymore, right? That shit's been discontinued for ages now. No way would a routine test catch up on it.

"Yeah," she muttered to herself. "No way."

...

Miryoku made a run for the door, tripping over her own feet on the way to it.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hawks, dressed in casual attire for the occasion, flashed a peace sign to Miruko with a smirk. Though he flaunted his usual charisma at the people that noted his presence, he mostly focused on getting to his friend who'd been waiting in front of the hospital's reception desk. Funny how the fur around her ears fluffed when she got that peeved. Letting his wings rest behind him, he patted Miruko's arm amicably as he reached her.

"What do you mean 'what'?" he asked with a coyness to his question. "I'm here to make sure you don't do anything stupid?"

"What the—What makes you think I'll do anything stupid, dodo?"

"Should I remind you about last night?" he promptly pointed out.

Almost instantly, Miroku's eyes grew wide before a sneer came to her. "You little—"

"E-Excuse me?" Both heroes turned at the sudden interruption by a cute nurse who held a clipboard against her chest. Clearing her throat, the nurse gestured towards the hallways that led into the rest of the hospital. "I'll take you to the patient's room. This way if you would."

The blush across her face told Hawks that she might very well be starstruck by having a couple of heroes in her midst. _Guess she's new._ This was a regular hospital were heroes tended to get treated, after all. Surely they trained their staff to be as respectful and professional as humanly possible. Which reminded him…

"Why is she here of all places?"

"Don't know," Miroku deadpanned with a shrug of her shoulders as both followed after the nurse. "It's better though. She's getting treated well if she's here."

Hawks bet. This was a hospital frequented by heroes since it was so close to the agencies in Tokyo, his included. Though it rarely took civilians, it wasn't strange to see one or two pop up here and there. Usually, the ones well off that could afford the hefty price. Which made him wonder how a journalist from JPW could afford to be treated here.

The news of what had happened the night before during the gala had spread like wildfire even before the sun rose. The instant he turned on his TV for a brief peek at the weather forecast—something useful when one such as him needed to decide whether to fly or walk to work—he was surprised to see it interrupted by the daily morning news already talking and speculating about the kidnapping of a citizen during what was believed to be one of the most secure events of the season.

'_Amongst an event full of heroes, who would've thought that such criminals could get away with kidnapping the only daughter of Japan Weekly's CEO?' _

Hawks turned it off the moment he heard that. Too bad there was more of the same everywhere online. Feeling way too tired to deal with such nonsense so early in the morning, he'd been about to turn off his phone for a couple of hours when Miroku texted him.

'At the hospital. Gonna see her out.'

That was it. Curt and succinct. And completely idiotic in his opinion. Chimni-san had been taken in the ambulance along with Hanazawa Saori to the nearest hospital for a check-up. And though this was the nearest hospital, he surmised that Chimni wouldn't be staying if the need arose. She was a simple journalist. No way would she have the cash to stay in such a fancy-pansy hospital as Hanazawa did.

_I'm the jackass for assuming, I suppose._

"It's room number—Chimni-san! Where do you think you're going?"

The petite brunette froze as she was closing the door of her room, her back to them. Her shoulders slumped as she turned with a coy smile towards the nurse.

"Just taking a walk," she responded with a mild chuckle.

"With your clothes on?" Miryoku flinched but didn't dare respond with anything else. The nurse shook her head, seemingly losing her shyness with the so-called patient as she started pushing her inside the room once more. "You still haven't been discharged!"

"B-But the doctor said I'm good to go!" Miryoku complained. Hawks couldn't keep the small chortle when he noticed the brunette explicitly stopping the nurse from moving her any further by leaning her weight backward.

"Yes, but we aren't allowed to discharge you until we're assured you're 100% fine!" Despite the added weight, the nurse shoved Miryoku into the room and closed the door behind herself, keeping the two heroes outside while a ruckus rose on the other side.

"What a trooper," he said with a chuckle.

"She hates hospitals." Hawks gave Miroku a sidelong glance as his friend chuckled to herself. "Only came to visit me once and only because I'd been hurt pretty bad."

Clearing his throat, Hawks tugged down on one of Miroku's ears to have it closer to him as he said, "Stop it, jackrabbit."

Miroku whined and kicked back at him, something he avoided with ease by hovering in the air just long enough to do so. Hawks released her before landing, the Rabbit Hero rubbing at her sore ear with a peeved look.

"I ain't doing shit."

"No," he agreed before countering, "You're saying shit. Which is worse 'cause you don't know when to—" He mimicked zipping his own lips which got the message across to her pretty well. Hawks hated being the mature one. Especially to those older than him. But since it was Miruko they were talking about, he knew to have a little more patience than usual. Just a tiny bit more. "You gotta give this up before you do something stupid like you did last night. The girl's got enough on her mind after what she went through last night to have to deal with you, too, don't you think?"

Miroku clicked her tongue then, kicking back at him once more and catching his leg when he tried hovering away. "It's not even like that, you dumbass dodo. All I'm making sure of is that she gets home safely after what happened."

"Call one of your sidekicks for that. Coming yourself kinda gives it away that you want something to happen again between you two."

"No, it doesn't."

"Yeah, it does."

"No, it doesn't!"

"It kind of does."

Both turned when Miryoku butted into their conversation with a smile on her face. Though Hawks was as calm as could be, simply hovering down to firmly stand on the ground once more, Miroku practically jumped back as far as the opposite wall in the hallway.

"Relax, I'm not mad," Miryoku assured her with an amicable tone. "Sort of figured as much when you suddenly texted me this morning out of the blue. But it's alright. I appreciate the gesture...as a friend, Rumi."

_Oof. _That even hurt _him_.

It was between some light and heavy-hitting rejection. At least, she wasn't toying around with Miroku which was a good thing to see. It seemed he wouldn't be as needed to keep his friend from doing something stupid as he thought. No wait, that was still pretty much on the table. Wanting to squander the awkwardness caused by Chimni's sudden remark, he clapped Miroku's back in an attempt to get her back down to earth long enough to play along with him.

"Well, it's good to see you're up and well, Chimni-san. Quite formidable if you ask me."

"It wasn't that bad," she assured him. "Frightening, yes, but other than that, I came out perfectly fine for what it's worth. Thank you for coming. I didn't expect a couple of heroes to see me off."

"Just accompanying Miroku. Right?"

It took a moment for the Rabbit Hero to answer. Thankfully, once she did, the shock from the mild rejection she'd gotten had washed off and left behind the happy-go-lucky rabbit he knew.

"Yeah. He's just a meddlesome pigeon though. I'm actually here to take you home...if that's alright with you."

"Thank you but someone's already coming to get me." Her gaze focused on Miroku for a split second. It was quick and subtle, though not subtle enough for him not to notice. Her happiness returned then as she gestured down the hall instead. "Would you like to accompany me to the cafeteria for some coffee maybe? I'm still waiting for some things to be done before leaving, not to mention I'm waiting for my ride to actually get here."

"Coffee?" It was hard to miss how Miroku's ears instantly perked from being firmly against her head.

"Anything you'd like, really. Take it as a 'thank you' for rescuing me."

"Actually, I'm—" Before he could even put some lame excuse out there, Miroku locked his neck under her arm and interrupted him.

"No need to thank us, Ryo!" Miroku called cheerfully, choking Hawks a little under her arm with her enthusiasm. "We're heroes, after all!"

Miryoku chuckled, walking up to them and laying a hand on Miroku's arm briefly. It was an odd gesture. And Hawks couldn't ignore the way Miroku reacted to it, releasing him almost instantly and following after Miryoku as she guided them to the cafeteria. His shoulders slumped knowing he'd have to follow but kept a close eye on the little woman.

As she said, she bought them something from the cafeteria—Miroku a latte and a cola for him while grabbing a simple tea for herself—and the two of them waited around in the lobby with her. Though he quipped up here and there, Hawks was more interested in listening to the petite brunette as she seamlessly maintained the conversation going with Miroku. Though he blamed it on Miroku's latent feelings for the girl, he wouldn't deny that Chimni could seemingly weave people into talking with ease. Perhaps it was something she picked up as a journalist. It'd certainly be his first bet if somebody asked him. But there was something..._off_ about the way she did it.

Whatever it was, he didn't like it. Being manipulated wasn't his thing.

"Anyway," she checked her phone for a brief moment before saying, "I really would like to thank you both for yesterday. Without you, Saori and I would've been in big trouble."

"You're welcome. Though I gotta say, you did quite the rash thing, Chimni-san," Hawks deadpanned. The way she stiffened lightly at the jab made him grin, something he hid well by taking a small sip of his cola. "Throwing yourself into danger like that, I mean. I suppose it makes sense how you get into so much trouble though. Is it a habit of yours?"

A satisfied eyebrow raised at the way a tiny vein popped on her neck. Even funnier still how she strained to maintain the smile on her face.

"It's more like trouble chases me around sometimes. Nothing to worry about." Sharp eyes kept her in their sights as she took a sip of her tea, eyes closed as if savoring it, and narrowed when they opened carelessly, half-lidded. Enough for him to see a glint of something in those sunset eyes through long lashes. "Though I got to say I am a bit disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

She nodded with a sickly-sweet smile on her lips as she lowered the foam cup from her lips. "A hotel full of heroes and a girl gets kidnapped? Who would've thought, right?"

Hawks opened his mouth to retort and shut her up when a loud _whack_ rang through the lobby with incredible echo. What impressed him most was how Miryoku's calm composure broke in the blink of an eye, turning her into a heaping mess of angry growls and pained groans as she instantly crouched and rubbed at her heels in pain. Wood clacking on tile caught both his and Miroku's attention to the short old man standing behind her now. He grumbled something under his breath as he came around Miryoku, back arched forward with a hand behind his back and a frown permanently on his face.

"Stop your yapping, brat." His wooden cane _clacked_ loudly against the tile again after a few more taps to her tennis shoes. "Is that how you thank a bunch of kids who risked themselves to save you?"

"G-Gramps…" Beneath wayward strands of dark hair, Miryoku glared up at the old man that stood just at eye-level with her crouched form. "You gotta stop doing that. One of these days you're gonna tear my heel like that."

The old man humphed, straightening his back the slightest of bits. "You're too young to be breaking like that. Now stop your whinging and properly thank these kids."

"Complaining, gramps…" she muttered under her breath. "Just say complaining, damn it."

Hawks watched the familial exchange beside Miroku with an awed expression. For once, that cool composure the journalist kept had broken, revealing the feisty little thing that laid hidden underneath. What's more, he felt like he kind of recognized the old man from somewhere. His grimace moved from one edge of his lips to the other as he tried jogging his head for an answer. The hefty sound of a sigh broke his concentration though as Miryoku stood upright, mumbling under her breath a 'thank you' like a scolded child.

Her gaze suddenly broke away from the floor to meet a doctor that had unbeknownst to them been making his way towards them. Hurriedly, she met him halfway—far away enough from the three of them so that their quiet conversation mingled seamlessly into the rest of the voices in the room.

"Dumb granddaughter of mine can't even give a simple thank you." Bowing his head, the old man let his weight relax once more towards his cane. "Thanks for saving her. That knucklehead tends to get into more trouble than most."

_So it's not just me._

"No problem!" Miroku proudly tapped her fist against her chest, ears straight as could be. "It's our duty. Besides, Miryoku was of great help with securing another civilian. So we've got her to thank for that, too."

"That bad habit still got a hand on her, huh?"

Both Hawks and Miroku blinked a couple of times, dumbfounded by his question that seemed directed to neither of them. Neither asked though. It wasn't their place to do so. But the awkward silence that ensued immediately after gave Hawks the opening he needed to take their leave. Nudging Miroku towards the exit with his elbow and getting no response irked him to no end, but before he could subtly urge her out of this situation, stomps that reverberated in his feathers approached them faster than he could talk.

Sensing their approach, he quickly drew back one of his wings closer to his back to leave the opening for Miryoku to burst through. The way her eyes narrowed on her grandfather was one thing. What really had them at a loss for words and dreading what words came out of her mouth next was the dark, menacing aura coming from her as she leaned fully on one foot to tap the other against the tiled floor. Arms crossed before her chest, she peered down at the old man, two manila folders sticking from under her arms.

"What's the hold-up?" he crankily called out. "I've got dinner to buy."

"Nuh-huh. You ain't buying shit till you go in for your check-up."

The old man dismissed her with an exaggerated wave of his hand and a click of his tongue. "I don't need no check-up."

Miryoku deftly pointed out towards the general direction of the rooms where they'd come from not long ago, sounding more like a mother than a granddaughter as she punctuated every word. "In. Now."

Both stood at a standstill not caring about Hawks, Miroku, or the curious crowd spectating the familial argument from afar. Neither seemed to be relenting, and it was turning into a rather uncomfortable situation to be in, even for him. To his surprise, however, it was Miroku who bent down to meet the old man with a sympathetic smile.

"I think your granddaughter just wants to make sure you're well, sir. And knowing her, she's stubborn enough to stand there till you give." She chuckled carelessly. "I think humoring her will be easier."

Unlike what he thought, the old man looked to be giving her words some thought before scoffing and taking the first step towards the doctor that was just meeting up with them to receive him. Miryoku heaved a sigh of relief only after he passed her and bowed in gratitude to the two of them before waving farewell and leaving with her grandfather and physician.

Miroku waved idly beside Hawks, who couldn't help looking at Miroku like she was some random stranger in the street.

"Since when are you the peacemaker?"

The Rabbit Hero chuckled as she stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket. "She's stubborn as a mule. Knowing that, well… Like grandfather, like granddaughter, or something like that, right?"

"You know the old man?"

"Don't you?" Miroku asked, pivoting to face the exit and taking the first steps towards it. "I thought for sure you've at least heard of Gran Torino."

"Gran…" It took him a moment to process it, his feathers bristling in realization the moment it hit him. "_That's_ her grandfather?"

* * *

_That was close._

For once, Miryoku was glad that her grandfather tended to skip his routine check-ups. Though making a scene was the last thing she wanted, it served its dual purpose. Not only did she get Miroku and Hawks to leave her be, but it also got her grandfather's attention away from her long enough for her to slip away from the examination room where he was getting his check-up.

Now in a stall of a nearby restroom, Miryoku skimmed through her blood tests. The doctor hadn't said anything to her. He didn't seem like there was something worrying him either when he spoke of her results. She was fit as a fiddle. Blood alcohol not even elevated. Nothing out of the ordinary. And as she finished eyeing the list of routine drugs they tested for in villain-related attacks, Miryoku finally let out a long, drawn-out breath.

They tested for the usual. The most recent drugs circulating the black market right now. Miryoku thanked goodness for the ever-changing state of society for that. It was only because of it that she flew right under that scrupulous radar.

Finally at ease, she placed her tests back into the folder and left the restroom to return to her grandfather's side.

* * *

**Ten years ago — Tokyo, Kijimi Middle School **

Shit stank.

Miryoku went on mindlessly chewing her bubblegum despite the receptionist telling her to throw it away. What else did she expect her to do? Grow fucking mold while waiting? Glancing up, dark brown eyes met the peeved glare of said receptionist and blew a bubble with her gum until it popped, keeping her deadpanned look at all times towards the hag. Unlucky for her, a pain shot across the left side of her jaw just as she did that. Her fingers brushed against the tender skin feeling the faint touch hurt. Not wanting to deal with it now, she laid back to rest for a bit.

"Chimni-kun?"

Her chewing stopped briefly as the principal called her name and beckoned her into his office. Miryoku waited until he disappeared and grabbed the chewed gum in her fingers, stuck in underneath the chair she'd been sitting on, and blew a raspberry at the fuming receptionist before sauntering inside his office. The moment she entered, though, she kinda wished she'd kept it. Chewing that thing would've at least kept her mind out of the shit talk she was about to get.

Waiting for her inside was the principal that had called her in seating behind his desk, prim and proper, while across from them seated with his cane propped in front of him was her grandfather. Neither looked happy. Neutral at best, completely frustrated and exhausted at worst. Without preamble nor invitation, she fell onto the seat next to her grandfather and let herself slide a bit against the back of the chair.

"We thank you for coming at such short notice." Her grandfather listened while she thought the birds just outside the window were much more interesting than him. "I'll get to the point since this isn't the first time, Torino-san. Your granddaughter got into an altercation with another student today."

"Did she now?" he asked. "And what was the reason?" Before the principal could explain the situation, her grandfather raised a quieting hand at him and turned with a stern expression towards her. "Well?"

Stuck between ignoring him and getting a rather harsh lecture later at home, Miryoku chose the tongue lashing now rather than later. Sticking her hands deeper into her pockets to hide her gnarly skinned knuckles, she shrugged her shoulders languidly while refusing to break away from the birds outside.

"They got on my nerves."

The principal let out a tired breath having expected the usual excuse she always gave. "Torino-san, we understand the circumstances you undertook with your granddaughter. We accepted her despite her less than stellar records because we believe she can be better, but we've been getting complaints from the parents of the other students as well. If things continue as they have so far, we may find ourselves forced to expel her."

Expulsion.

That was the end of their so-called conversation.

Though the principal took her grandfather's attention for a moment to speak with him privately, Miryoku knew there wasn't much else to be said. She mindlessly picked at the gauze taped to her cheek while waiting at the front gates for them to finish and watched from the hillside of where the school sat as the sun began setting.

Being expelled didn't sound that bad. She could get a job—maybe two—and help with the household expenses. That guy from that one bar she went to said he had open janitor positions. That didn't sound so bad. A hassle, sure, but what job wasn't?

The _clacking_ of the wooden cane against the asphalt brought her gaze back to the old man that now slackened after the scrutiny. Sorahiko didn't bother saying anything. It wasn't the first fight she'd gotten into. Certainly wouldn't be the last. But it seemed to weigh on him, and it pained her to have to see that. He started his way towards the main street where they'd hail a cab to get home, something she knew by memory now. But just as she started silently following after him, her eyes caught a glimpse of a figure waiting at the corner.

Dark hair. Charcoal eyes. Thick glasses.

It took Miryoku a moment but she finally recognized the girl. Not a name though. At spotting her, the black-haired girl sprung nervously to life, a meek smile pulling at her lips as she trotted to the two of them and stopping before Miryoku.

"S-Sorry for bothering you. I just—" She bowed to her grandfather before turning to Miryoku who simply eyed her with an impassive expression. "I wanted to thank you...and...I'm sorry you got hurt."

Miryoku groaned and let her head fall back as she rubbed her neck. Sorahiko, seeing it was none of his business, continued on to the street. Not wanting to fall behind, Miryoku went around the girl without much of a preamble.

"I didn't do it for you."

She'd only taken a few steps before that voice meekly surfaced over the afternoon cicadas.

"S-Still! Thank ya!"

_Huh._ That accent… A part of her brain recognized it from hearing it so much during the times she wasn't falling asleep in class. What was her name again? Oh. Right.

"As I said, forget it, Tsukauchi." Stepping to one side to get a look at her, she tapped the frames of her glasses for emphasis. "And if I were you, I'd get myself some contacts." With her middle and forefinger, Miryoku pulled down her eyelid and moved her own contact around, the dark brown of the lens moving enough to make way for the sunset orange of her iris. "You'll stand out less."

She left the girl with that and sprinted up to her grandfather who had just called down a cab. Scooting in after him, Miryoku let her bag fall on her feet as she busied herself with staring outside the window. Silence came over them until it was broken by her grandfather's sudden scoff.

"Just like your father, you."

Her shoulders tensed. Not with melancholy. Not with joy. Not even with pride. At the mention of her father, Miryoku felt nothing.

* * *

**Present; 3 pm — Kyushu, Chimni Household.**

"RYO!"

A squawk of surprise left Miryoku when Makoto suddenly tackled her the instant she opened the door to her house. The two a heap of cries and assurances, Gran Torino walked past them into the living room, sidestepping the Malamute that jumped onto the women on the floor with glee.

Sitting up long enough to eye him, Makoto let go of her friend before sitting cross-legged before the hero and bowing her head. "It's great to see you again, Torino-san!"

"Tsukauchi, right?" Walking over to the nearest couch, he jumped onto it with a burst of his Quirk, landing with a soft _plop_ on the cushion and leaning his cane against the side of it. "What brings you here?"

"I house-sat for Ryo while she stayed overnight at the hospital." Standing up and helping her friend stand as well, she stretched out her hand which he readily took and shook with his. "I meant to stay with her but she convinced me to do this instead when she told me you'd be picking her up after being discharged." Turning sideways to see Miryoku as she dusted her jeans off, Makoto smacked her right on her arm, earning a chiding 'hey!' from her friend. "How'd it go?"

"Oh, you know," she deadpanned while tossing the bag of prescriptions on her coffee table. "Painkillers for days and a scar for longer."

"Ooh, show me!"

Miryoku didn't bother shooing her friend away when the latter went about lifting the side of her shirts to view the bandages around her side. All the while she did this, Miryoku had a hard time avoiding her grandfather's piercing glare until it culminated with her snapping.

"I can see it on your face, gramps. Just say what you're thinking. Tell me I'm an idiot. That I shouldn't be putting myself in danger like that and that it's gonna get me killed someday."

_Tell me how much like him I am._

The mood soured quickly with her words. Even Makoto's attempt to lighten the already tense atmosphere was in vain when Miryoku wouldn't have it. She appreciated her friend's attempts to make her life more savory most of the time. Right now wasn't one of them, though. Knowing her grandfather, he had plenty to say about her actions. For a moment Miryoku felt like she was back in middle school again. Back during her 'rebellious phase'. Nothing much had changed from then, frankly. Her preferences simply shifted from punches and kicks to verbal lashings and snarky remarks. They tended to last longer and hurt more than bruises and cuts did. Something that she often thought hereditary with how crude her grandfather was at times. And knowing him, he would go for the hard hitter.

With a humph, he laid back against the chair.

"You're just like your father. Brash, hotheaded, and stupidly selfless."

Sunset eyes widened suddenly.

_...what?_

Processing the adjective she didn't expect, Makoto giggled beside her before guiding her to the stairs. "Go take a shower. I have some lunch to finish preparing. And don't worry, I'll give him tea without sweets."

As if everything was just blown away with that simple sentence as a reprimand, Sorahiko's demeanor changed to that of the oblivious old man at the mention of the beverage. "Good thing I brought taiyaki!"

"Not on your life!" Miryoku shouted, snatching the box he procured from goodness knows where and tossing it in the trash. Ignoring the tantrum he threw, she turned to Makoto with a smile and hugged her. "Thanks, Mako."

With a proud smile pulling at her lips, Makoto patted her back. "Anytime, sweetie."

Miryoku listened to her friend's advice, taking a quick shower to get rid of all the muck from the night before. Strutting into her room, she took a moment to lay on her bed and relish in the peacefulness after such a hectic night and morning.

A villain attack. Who would've thought? Her job brought her close to danger sometimes, sure, but never something this dangerous. Was quitting an option? Thinking better of it, she scratched it off of her list. Moving cost her every last yen in her savings account. Now wasn't the time to be picky just because she got kidnapped and harassed by villains. _Are you insane!?_ No, brain. She wasn't. Logic and self-preservation told her to quit, but her livelihood depended on that job for the time being. In a few months, though, that might be a different story.

The door of her room was pushed open without much preamble or as much of a knock. That in itself told her exactly who it was. Junji strutted through the room like he owned it—which he did—and jumped onto the bed as if it were his own—which it was—before lying down next to her, burying his muzzle against her armpit. Chuckling, Miryoku turned halfway to hug the massive dog who promptly went ahead with licking her face. Kissing his nose made his tail go wild as he barked at her face before laying back for some tummy rubs. Obliging, Miryoku went ahead scratching his stomach until she caught something out of the corner of her eye.

There, on her nightstand, five bottles of medication stood undisturbed. _Five _bottles.

_Where's the other one?_

Jumping out of bed, she looked everywhere she could think of for that bottle—under the bed, in her medicine cabinet, her nightstand's drawer—but it was nowhere to be found. Medicine didn't just disappear like that. She skidded out of her room to the top of the stairs and shouted out for Makoto who promptly stuck her head over the corner of the bottom floor.

"You called?"

"Did you clean my room?"

"You know I don't go in there without you—ah." Her green eyes grew wide before she chuckled nervously. "Actually…I might've cleaned up after some mess Junji made."

"What kind of mess?"

"I think he was lonely when you didn't come home. By the time I got here, he'd torn through one of your plushes and a bottle of medicine. I took him to the vet this morning but he said there was nothing to worry about." With a little chuckle, Makoto slapped the banister of the stairs for emphasis. "Also that plush only needs to be cleaned, re-stuffed, and stitched and it'll be as good as new!"

Storming into her room again, Miryoku rushed to her nightstand to double-check the bottles she had there all the while praying under her breath, "Please don't be that one. Please don't be that one."

But after checking the last bottle, Miryoku's shoulders slumped just as Junji walked up to sit beside her, panting and waiting as obedient as could be. Groaning, she bumped her forehead against the edge of the nightstand a couple of times before turning to Junji and grabbing him by the side of his head. Gently, she scrunched his fluffy hair in her hands before sighing defeatedly.

"You just ate 3 grand worth of pills." Junji, unaware of what he'd caused, simply barked and leaned his head against her hands. Sighing yet again, Miryoku couldn't help but groan while rubbing his ears. "I hope you shit gold, bud, 'cause that is what it's gonna cost me to replace those."

* * *

**Outgoing Mail**

**From: cmthrowaway **

**To: unknown**

**Subject: urgent replacement**

_Hello,_

_I know it's not the usual date that I contact you on but something happened and I lost the whole of the last bottle. I can get you the same amount as always for another. When's the soonest you can have it?_

* * *

**Several days later. Present; 6 pm—Over the streets of Kyushu.**

Patrol. Boring as ever. But peace tended to be quiet that way.

In an amazingly hypocritical way, Hawks enjoyed peace as much as he abhorred it. Though, if he had to guess, he would love it more given a few more days. Sadly it never lasted that long. There was always some petty crime or another happening—a robbery, an assault, a lost pup—and though it certainly kept him on his toes, it never fully allowed him to enjoy the peace he so frequently sought after. But he supposed that boredom was the downside of keeping his part of Kyushu as safe as possible. In his last four years of working as a hero, there had certainly been fewer crimes committed in his neck of the woods. Though some of that decline was very much owed to the imposing presence imprinted in the subconscious of Japan as a whole by All Might, he wouldn't underestimate the changes his own presence made in the whole of his prefecture.

But that would be putting himself in a pedestal he didn't belong in nor wished to stand on. Keeping his prefecture in order was his job, and that was all.

"Still…what a drag." His words trailed off as he cracked open a can of beer. The end of patrols was mostly calm, especially on Fridays. With the weekend ahead of him, it was the one day he could indulge in a couple of beers before heading to the office and signing off for the weekend.

Swiping through his phone for the last fifteen minutes of patrol, he scanned the news for a moment. Petty crimes, hero events, upcoming events of the spring—nothing out of the norm. But just as he was checking his social media for the kicks, a message blinked onto the screen.

A tiny notification that could've been nothing important. But the fact that the sender was Ohno Junko—humbly tilted 'Know-it-all Granny' in his contacts—told him otherwise. Knowing it was best to indulge the old lady, Hawks downed the one can and left the other on the ledge of the rooftop he'd been perched on before heading back to his office. By the time he got there, the sun had begun setting over the horizon—something he took a moment to look at before entering his office.

Already waiting for him was said old lady, that permanent frown somehow deepening further at the sight of him. An impossibility if he ever knew of one.

"What a sight for sore eyes you are, Junko-san!" Almost instantly, that charismatic persona of his slipped on like a fitted glove just like the boyish grin that tugged at the corner of his lips. "Though I suppose it's never good when I see you since it usually means I'm in trouble." Chuckling, he pointed at himself like a little kid would when in trouble. "Have I been a bad boy?"

"Enough fooling around, Takami-kun."

_Ah, someone's in a bad mood._

Pocketing his hands, Hawks kicked at the floor before flying over to his couch and lounging back, his wings precariously resting over the back in a heap of crimson. Junko stepped around them, the _clacking _of her heels audibly on the tiled floor as she approached him and unceremoniously passed him a hefty bunch of paperwork. Solely eyeing her for a moment, Hawks couldn't keep the smile on his face any longer and sighed before taking the stack of papers and skimming through them.

"We were sent word about some rising activity in Japan's underworld recently."

How straightforward. But not unlike her. Or anybody from the Hero Public Safety Commission either. They were all work, no play. Something that put a big damper on his mood daily when he ran out of energy to deal with them. Especially just at the tail end of a week of tedious work. Disregarding that irksome detail for the time being, amber eyes scanned the papers for the most vital information as Junko continued speaking.

"It's been an ongoing situation for the past couple of months. Companies under pseudonyms producing and distributing prototypes as unmarked drugs. Some were distributed to known locales who were easier to conduct an investigation on. However, the larger portion of them has gone to certain locales under the guise of so-called 'party pills'."

"No kidding."

All the names of known and verified locations of distribution were nightclubs. Some high-end almost at the level of Lux, others the bottom rung that let anybody in and let anything happen. It wasn't that poor of a cover, to be honest. Passing pills was a real common occurrence in those places, mostly for the fuck of it as Miroku so eloquently put it. It was conceivable that these places would pass around harder drugs than their usual uppers.

"What keeps you from arresting these people?" Without a care, he tossed the files down on the coffee table in front of him. "If you have the information, then you should have the evidence to take the businesses down, right?"

"Not precisely." Sitting down, Junko eyed him with that signature frown of hers as she crossed her ankles. "They have certain _protocols _in place that allow them to conceal the distributions. The staff who obtained this information never once saw the transactions outside the illicit stimulants usually given out."

"And you think I can catch them red-handed," he finished for her. "You know, sometimes I wonder how you pick me for missions. This, though, I doubt you gave it much thought because, really—" His wings sprung up behind him and stretched to their full, menacing length. "I'd be spotted a mile away."

Junko didn't falter in her response. "We did think it through. And knowing your expertise, we believe you are capable of dealing with a little inconvenience. Besides, it's not like we haven't made it far simpler for you to complete this task."

Searching through the pages, she finally laid the page bare for him to see, leaning forward briefly to tap it with her nail. Hawks lifted the page to gleam it before scoffing. It certainly wasn't impossible, what they were asking of him. It's not like he hadn't gone into jobs like these before while hiding in such a way. And though it would be mighty uncomfortable, if the Commission was asking, it wasn't like he could say no.

"Well, I can't complain then, can I?" he snarkily responded with a half-grin pulling at his lips. "If you've made it as easy as you say, surely you've got when they'll sell to a buyer next then?"

"Tomorrow night."

* * *

**Incoming Mail**

**From: unknown**

**To: cmthrowaway **

**Subject: none**

Urgent will cost you, darling, but seeing as you're a regular, the money talk can come later. Meet Ishihara tomorrow night 2 am. He'll have your new prescription. Be properly attired this time. Wouldn't want to raise suspicions like last time.

* * *

**Saturday, 1:02 am—Tokyo, Uzume Nightclub.**

"Raise suspicions, my ass…"

Grumbling under her breath, Miryoku couldn't help pulling down on her dress as they both climbed down from her motorcycle. Without warning, her hand got slapped away by Makoto's hand, frowning at her behind long lashes and puckered and pouting red lips.

"Don't do that!"

"It's short, Mako," she whined as they walked to the back entrance—the actual front entrance—of a certain underground club. Unconsciously, she pulled down on the hem of her black tube dress while fixing the red jacket on her shoulders. "I told you we were gonna ride my motorcycle, too. I don't know what the hell about that told you I wanted to borrow a dress this short."

Chidingly, Makoto wagged a knowing and annoying finger in her face. "Clubbing means being nice and sexy, Ryo. Besides, it's a good way to get your mind out of what happened. You like free drinks, don't you?"

"I do…" Miryoku couldn't deny that in particular. And she wouldn't actually mind her friend's constant attempts to doll her up if she weren't here, in this particular club, for a very important reason.

_Uzume_ was one of the more well-known clubs in Tokyo. Though not to the caliber of fancier clubs, it was still a pretty popular venue, especially for the younger crowd. It wasn't surprising either. While the latter was a more high-class and cleaner nightclub, _Uzume_ was known for its high energy and live shows. Not to mention their handing out of party drugs like it was Halloween to 'enhance' the experience. Something Miryoku noted as true yet again as they entered when a random girl, dashed with neon paint all over her exposed breasts and thighs, danced close while shouting goodness knew what and showing them her hand where brightly-colored pills laid looking like enticing candy to anybody who didn't know better. It was easy to dismiss her, shaking her head and hands to decline, leaving the girl to shrug her shoulders and continue on her merry way.

At least they weren't pushy.

The walls appeared to vibrate with how intensely the electronic music was blasting through every speaker mounted on them. Fucking building must've cost millions to renovate and sustain with parties like these every night. Bringing earplugs was definitely a wise idea. But even sticking them as far as they would go in her ears did little to keep her brain from bouncing in her skull with how damn loud the base was.

"...fucking hell."

Great. She couldn't even hear her own fucking voice.

It was tough not to get swallowed up by the enthusiastic crowd. Miryoku wrapped her arms around her chest to keep some semblance of her personal space intact as Makoto dragged her by her sleeve through it. Thankfully, not the whole of _Uzume _was a dancefloor. On the far right side stood a bar all along the wall with the middle being cut off to leave an opening that led to open tables and private rooms. All behind thick, dark soundproof curtains. With time to spare, Miryoku thanked Makoto in her head for heading straight for the bar. Asking for rum and coke to settle her nerves, she drank alongside her friend who bounced in place to the music.

The feel of the cool moisture from the condensing ice on her fingertips calmed her a little despite the noise blaring all around her. Downing the glass, she asked for another and just finished downing it when Makoto dragged her out onto the dance floor. As tense as she was, it took a while for the alcohol to mellow her down and finally enjoy a bit of the night.

It'd been ages since they last went clubbing. _Uzume_ had been a regular thing for them during their early years of college. The good years when they came often to celebrate passing a semester or to drown the bitterness of failing a class. And since the whole popping pills was optional here, they could have some clean fun sans the alcohol. That was simply a must for them to have a bit more fun.

Bright neon blue and green marks painted her arms and dress as they spent a good half an hour near the beating drums that splattered paint everywhere and had them smacking each other to leave marks of their hands to boot. Out of breath and laughing giddily, she howled at Makoto before making her way through the crowd back to the bar. With some space to finally think, Miryoku eyed the time on her phone briefly. 1:44 am; almost time. With how smoothly the night was going, there'd surely be no problem getting what she came for and leaving with Makoto back home. Needing a drink, she asked for a couple of shots—one for courage and another for the road back to Mako—and backed up in her rush to get back to her friend. Just as she did, thought, she stumbled upon a body firmly standing in her way, almost losing her footing.

Strong hands steadied her arms behind her as she dropped her shot glasses, the plastic harmlessly bouncing off the floor and the place stinking even more of alcohol than it already was when they did.

_Good thing they're free._

But as the buzz of the alcohol gave way to her brain for a moment, sunset eyes lifted as she turned intending to apologize to whomever she'd stumbled across and whose nice shoes she'd showered in tequila along with her heels.

Tight, black skinny jeans hugged his figure and complemented well the gray v-neck colored with neon handprints and the black leather jacket he wore over it. Though not out of the norm with this crowd, the fact that he wore sunglasses inside such an already dark place was odd beyond words. But the moment he lowered them and she managed to catch the dark amber of those eyes between the flashing lights as he raised a curious eyebrow and flashed her a wolfish grin, Miryoku's stomach sank.

_You gotta be fucking kidding me._

Drunk instinct took over almost instantly. Before she knew it, Miryoku snatched his wrist before he could say anything and quickly dragged him behind the thick curtains towards the back. Once she could hear her own jumbled thoughts, she asked for a table to the nearest hostess who, after eyeing him up and down with a lecherous gaze, guided them to one of the farthest private tables around the corner. Pushing him in, Miryoku stopped him from exiting by taking the seat next to him, basically trapping him there before letting herself freak out.

"What in fuck's sake are you doing here?!"

Hawks chuckled, his grin showing no signs of leaving and making her want to slap it off his face all the more as he slid his sunglasses back to rest over his head.

"I could ask you the same thing?" Languidly, he rested his arms over the leather sofa they sat on as he laid back. "Didn't think _Uzume _was a place you'd frequent."

"They give free drinks." To her anyway. But tonight she hadn't exactly come by for the drinks. Shaking her head out of that, her brow furrowed as she pointed behind her. "And like you're one to talk. Isn't Lux a much better pick than _Uzume _for a high-class hero?"

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, his gaze following one of the hostesses as she passed by their table. "Depends on the kind of company you want for the night." Losing his grin for a second, he eyed her for a second. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd keep quiet about that. I'd like to have hassle-free fun for a bit."

"What the hell are you talk—" But then it clicked. His attire. The fact that his wings weren't even visible somehow. It made sense even when he tried to avoid and hide it. The moment it did though, her face visibly blanched, hoping against hope that she wasn't right. "You're here undercover."

A deep chuckle came from his throat as he leaned forward on the table to rest his chin on his hand, a wolfish grin ghosting over his lips as he looked at her from under his lashes. "I have no clue what ya talking about, sweetheart."

Slightly buzzed as she was allowed her mouth to take the reins of her body without the approval of her brain for once. "Cheeky bast—"

"Here you are!" Without warning, Makoto plopped opposite of her laughing her ass off as she did. "I thought I'd lost you to the bartender again! Knowing the bottomless barrel you are, I thought you'd be on your tenth...shot…" It amazed Miryoku how long it took her friend to notice, especially with how perceptive she usually was. Having fun dulled the mind, she guessed. Much like alcohol in her case. Thank god at least Makoto stayed sober for the both of them. With a pointing finger, Makoto gaped at the man sitting between them before a wide grin crept onto her face.

"You're—"

"Makoto!" She didn't mean to be so loud, but at least it caught her friend off guard enough for her not to finish that sentence.

Her friend instantly popped her hand against her mouth and chuckled after a minute at finally understanding. "Oh, no names?"

Hawks smiled charmingly her way. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't."

"Fair enough." Eyeing the rest of him, Makoto couldn't help pointing out, "It took me a while to recognize you without the, well..." she flapped her hands over her shoulders behind her to mimic his wings. "Where's the rest of you?"

"Around."

_Shady as hell._

It'd been the first thing she'd noticed too. Though, unlike Makoto, she wasn't up to asking about it. But hearing that gave her some idea. Those feathers were probably hiding everywhere around them, using the shadows of the club as hiding spots. It did amaze her that he could so easily appear like a normal person by just sending his feathers packing. Not entirely though, since she could still spot a bump on his back that didn't look all that normal the longer she stared at it.

_Guess they're not all gone._

But as Makoto began idle chatter with the hero, Miryoku dragged her hands down her face at the time, 2:04 am. Just as she was about to ditch them to find her contact, one of the hostesses came by with a tray carrying three empty shot glasses along with a small, unopened bottle of vodka.

All three raised their gaze at the woman who never once took her leering gaze away from Hawks. Wanting nothing more than for her to leave, Miryoku shook her head vehemently.

"We didn't order anything."

"It's on the house," she readily said. Placing the bottle and glasses on the table before stepping back gave Miryoku the view of the person the hostess pointed at sitting along the bar with several bodyguards and pretty dancers hanging around. The only person a bit out of sorts was the man talking to him. "Ishihara-dono sends his regards, Chimni-san."

Hawks eyed the man over her head curiously. Makoto thanked the hostess for the drinks and asked for water for herself while serving two shots for the other two. Meanwhile, Miryoku was between wanting nothing more than for the earth to swallow her and the relief of knowing she didn't miss out on her meet-up.

The Winged Hero eyed the glass Makoto served for him before toying with the open bottle. "Friendly guy much?"

"Oh, it's pretty common." Makoto thanked the hostess yet again as she brought the fresh glass of water to the table. "Expected of an ex who thinks they can win someone back with free stuff."

"Ex?" Miryoku downed the shot without even a grimace when Hawks eyed her at repeating the word with a fine brow rising.

"Don't ask," she grumbled.

"You do know he's known to have ties with the underground, right?" he pointed out, nonchalantly.

"Oh, I let her know." Makoto didn't bother stopping Miryoku when she snatched the bottle to serve herself another shot. What she did do was reach out with an open palm towards her. Grumbling under her breath, Miryoku dug into the small purse hanging over her shoulder before dumping her motorcycle's keys in her hand. Veiled threats of 'you scratch it, you buy me a new paint job' were muttered back at her before she went back to serving her own shots. "Dumped him the minute she found out. _But_ he keeps thinking they'll get back together, so he keeps an open bar for her."

That got him to let out a scoff. "So that's where your free drinks come from."

"I've told him several times to cut it out." The tiny glass overflowed with alcohol that she downed easily, some spilling down the side of her lips which she wiped with the back of her hand. "Not my fault he won't listen."

"Ah, young love," Makoto swooned after a satisfying drink of her water.

"Shut it, Mako."

Amber eyes looked over her head one last time before turning back to Miryoku who was downing the bottle rather quickly. It's not like it was a lot but for such a tiny woman, it certainly seemed like it.

"Say, do you think I could have a word with your boyfriend?"

"_Ex,_" she punctuated. At last, after ten shots, her shot glass remained empty no matter how far she tilted the bottle. "And what do you even want to talk to him for?"

"Matters." With a finger, he passed his own untouched glass towards her. "Could you do me the favor?"

She didn't hesitate to take the glass and down it, smacking it down hard against the table. "You'd owe me."

He shrugged his shoulders without pause. That was enough for her to agree, leaning against the table to balance herself before walking over to the bar. The bodyguards stopped her just a few steps away from the man but all she had to do was raise her voice to get noticed by the young man.

Dark green eyes glinted under the light as they turned to look at her, a smile spreading across his lips as he brushed his blonde hair with his hand. "Ah, Miryoku. Come, come, let's have a chat." With a wave of his hand, he ushered both the bouncers and women away, the other man gone by the look of things. Taking the seat beside him, he offered her a drink which she readily took but refrained from drinking.

Tipsy as she was now, she wasn't gone enough to drink from a glass she hadn't prepared herself or seen prepared before her. Her finger graced the rim of the glass over and over as the haze of the alcohol she'd down just minutes ago settled. Thank god it didn't hinder her mind yet.

"You've got great company."

"I have _good _company. None better than yours, though." He chuckled and drank from his own glass. "Speaking of which, you've got an interesting new friend."

Ishihara Kazuhiro had been her sixth boyfriend. Or had he been the seventh? Miryoku frankly didn't recall that too well. Those couple of weeks of dating him had been a blur of nonstop partying and drinking that she'd relished on in its moment. He wasn't a bad man. From a bad family, certainly, but not a truly bad man. And definitely intelligent. He kept _Uzume_ clean as much as he could; the only illicit drugs apart from the uppers sold at the club were sold to long-time customers.

Like herself.

"He's not my friend, but he does want to talk to you."

Ishihara scoffed. "I don't know him. And I don't speak to people I don't know."

"Fair enough." Reaching into her bra, she took a prepaid card hidden there at the same time that she took a tiny sip from her glass. Just tiny enough to simulate. While doing so, she placed it under her glass as she set it down before pushing her drink back towards the bar and giving him a sidelong glance as she stood. "I'll leave you be then. I've got a night to enjoy."

"My establishment is made to have fun, so go have it. By the way, the DJs got new tracks since last you came. I think you'd enjoy them. Tell him to show you the new selection." He drank his whole drink as well, leaving aside the glass for the bartender to pick, placing his hand over the card to keep it in place while the bartender took the glasses. "I'd recommend 'Strawberry Night'."

"Sure thing."

"Have a fun night, Miryoku."

Sauntering back to the booth, the idle chatter that had been going on between Makoto and Hawks quieted the moment she stepped into the frame. Though it was idiotic, the fact irked her and made her spit out the words with a little more venom than she intended.

"He's not interested." Miryoku reached down and grabbed Makoto by the arm, hauling her to her feet and dragging her away from the table.

Her friend's complaints landed on deaf ears the instant they passed through the curtain and the loud music beat into her ears. Miryoku dragged her to the dancefloor, dancing to get her to join which, luckily, she did eventually. After a minute, she pointed at the DJ and smiled, mouthing a quick 'I'll be back' before making her way through a sea of people to a set of stairs off to the side of the stage. Climbing up, Miryoku stumbled a bit on her feet, stopping briefly at the top to regain her footing before walking up to the man behind his station.

A four-armed man spun the equipment like a pro and danced in place to the beat of his own tracks until Miryoku tapped him on the shoulder. With one of his less occupied hands, he lowered the headphones plastered against his ear and motioned with a finger to it. Miryoku didn't hesitate, leaning over to say, "Heard 'Strawberry Night' is good! You have it?"

"You want the lo-fi version or the trap?"

_Fuck_. How she hated coded messages. She could never remember the right words. Thinking about it for a moment, Miryoku gave it a random shot. "Trap?"

With another of his hands, the man lowered his light-up sunglasses before scoffing and pointing towards the other side of the stage that led further back into private rooms. "Iki's in the back."

So much roundabout. But Miryoku knew that was to cover their asses. And frankly, it also helped her cover hers. Climbing down the set of stairs on the other side led her to a narrow hallway that led to a single door where a dark girl with white tattoos across her skin waited for her, Iki. Here, so far from the actual club, the music sounded like noise bouncing from a neighbors house.

Iki raised a questioning eyebrow. "Back again?"

"Lost the last batch."

"You pay already?"

Miryoku nodded. It was then that Iki let her through the door and closed the door behind herself as she followed. Inside looked to be a small warehouse full of plastic boxes, many of which were closed. Pointing at each and counting to herself under her breath, Iki snapped her fingers as if finally figuring out where the thing she was looking for was. From behind a few, she hauled out a medium-sized box that rattled as she placed it on the far end table.

Inside it were bottles upon bottles of medication. All unmarked and in dark amber glass bottles. Iki took a couple of the small vials and handed them over to Miryoku who readily took and placed them inside her small handbag. The instant the rattling stopped in her bag, her stomach turned.

Doing this always made her feel sick.

"You leaving through the back again?" Iki asked as she closed the box.

She wanted to say yes, but Makoto was here still and she had her keys. Leaving wasn't an option. _I knew inviting her wasn't a good idea, even as a cover._

Good thing she didn't have to carry them around all night.

Remembering her nifty hiding place, Miryoku nodded and left the club through one of the many back doors that gratefully wasn't far from where she'd parked her motorcycle. Carefully, she picked at the seat of her motorcycle until her nails latched onto the unevenness of it where she could lift it up without trouble. If she hid them here, the rattling would be nothing more than a problem with her bike. Stashing the bottles in there, she let the seat fall back into place before leaning back to sit on it briefly and sighing when she heard the_ clicking_ of the seat going solidly back into place.

"Found you."

Spooked out of her mind, Miryoku slipped as she attempted to get off her motorcycle and gracefully fell on her backside on the grimy floor. A haughty chuckle floated in the air before soft touches came under her arms.

"Sorry," Hawks apologized as he walked up to where she was. "Didn't mean to scare ya."

"Could've fooled me." Hastily smacking away his feathers, Miryoku glared back at him as she now stood feet away from him. "What're you doing out here? Weren't you saying something about having fun and whatnot?" Pointedly, she looked around, "'Cause I don't see any piece of ass out here willing to drop to her knees. Or his."

"How crude," he said with a chuckle. "I came out here because your friend found me again and asked if I'd seen you."

"Makoto?"

"Yeah, her." He pointed back with his thumb towards the club. "Said something about you ditching her."

"Not like I can without my damn keys," she mumbled under her breath as she searched through her bag for her phone. Finding it, she dialed the second number in her speed dial and held it against her ear as it began to ring.

Hawks stepped around her, eyeing the motorcycle with a keen eye as he did so. Sunset eyes widened the instant he started surrounding it like he did, her heartbeat slowing and the ringing of her phone fading to the back of her head.

_He didn't see me...did he?_

"It's a nice motorcycle." He passed his hand over the dark metallic orange and gold colors, his fingers brushing lightly over the seat before latching on the handlebars. Miryoku swallowed but couldn't pass down the ball of anxiety in her throat. "Is it some kind of sports model?"

"Kind of…" she drawled mindlessly. "It's between that and a cruiser."

"Is it fast?" Her eyes caught the movement of his back; maybe the small stubs of wings he hid behind his jacket.

"It can be. Not as fast as a sports one but it can reach a hundred miles."

"Have you ridden it that fast before?"

"Some...times."

His fingers stopped briefly over the seat before he plastered his palm on it and leaned on it slightly. Her blood froze at the sight. If he tipped it over, that seat would fly right off.

_And so would the bottles. _

Her drunkenness vanished all at once with that frightening thought. Trotting up to the motorcycle, she slapped his hands away without thinking. When he only took his hand back with a grin and a wide-eyed, surprised look on his face, Miryoku did the best to pull her best peeved expression despite how much she was shaking on the inside.

"Do you mind? I don't like other people touching my stuff. Especially when it's expensive. Also, what's with all these questions?"

To her chagrin, Hawks avoided her question, instead grinning and nodding at her phone. "Did she answer?"

Noticing just now that she'd let the phone ring through voicemail, Miryoku called Makoto again. This time, she picked up on the third ring.

"_Where are you, Ryo?"_

Miryoku's brow suddenly furrowed at the rushed tone of her voice. "What's wrong?"

"_So, um,"_ she nervously let out a chuckle, the clicking of her heels even audible through the phone. _"You know how we met Hawks not long ago?"_

"What about him?" Miryoku asked, watching as Hawks smiled coyly as he leaned forward at the front of the motorcycle to lean on the handlebars.

"_Yeah, he's here on official hero business, apparently."_

Not liking the sound of that at all, Miryoku was about to ask her what she meant when the loudness of cars passing by took her attention. Perhaps it wouldn't have been odd to hear cars rushing by. These were well-populated areas, after all. But at two in the morning, only a certain group rode in a line down these parts of town. Giving a sidelong glance towards the street, her eyes widened at spotting squad cars passing by without their lights nor sirens on.

"You _were_ here undercover." Miryoku heard Makoto's questioning tone but paid no mind to what she said as she eyed the hero nonchalantly smiling before her. Somehow that smile sent a chill down her spine, no longer seeming friendly. "What's going on?"

"It's getting quite late, don't you think?" Hawks asked without answering any of her questions and only panicking her further. "You and your friend should probably head home." Through the speaker of her phone—or was it out here now?—Miryoku could hear the sound of tapping heels growing louder and louder. "Wouldn't want to get tangled in a messy situation again, right?"

_What the hell—_

"Ryo!" Sunset eyes turned dumbfounded at the hand that grabbed her arm. Following it up showed her Makoto who wore a very concerned expression on her face. "Ryo, let's go."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Police stormed _Uzume_."

The news made her instantly turn back to where Hawks had been standing, intent on asking him more, but was shocked to see said hero nowhere in sight. Searching every which way but finding nothing, Miryoku gave up when Makoto tugged at her arm.

"Let's go, Miryoku."

"Give me the keys."

"But you're—"

"Give me the damn keys, Mako."

Begrudgingly doing as she was told, Miryoku climbed the motorcycle and helped Makoto up behind her. Passing her one of the helmets, she turned on the ignition, reassured how familiar the engine's vibration beneath her felt. With her helmet still in hand, she turned the motorcycle out of the curbside, running it slowly and, against her best judgment, inching closer to _Uzume_'s entrance.

Like Mako told her over the phone, squad cars surrounded _Uzume _like it were some kind of raid. And by the looks of things, it was exactly that. The staff, the clubbers, the DJ and even Ishihara—all of them were being detained.

Makoto tugged at her jacket one time. Then again. But nothing brought her attention away from the raid of the place she'd just been at a few minutes ago. The place where she just obtained the bottles rattling underneath her seat.

Suddenly, red feathers swayed down from the sky before her eyes snapping her out of her stupor. Briefly looking upward showed her nothing.

He was gone as quickly as he'd passed by.

The reminder of him almost finding those bottles sent a tremendous chill down her spine and urged her to leave. Putting on her helmet and slamming the visor down, Miryoku tapped Makoto's leg, letting her know she'd be going now. Makoto held on but not tight enough to not feel the sudden jerk of Miryoku suddenly speeding away and almost cornering at the street that led away from _Uzume_.

* * *

**2:45 am —** **Tokyo, Ares Street**

The cops raided the place faster than he thought they would. Thankfully, the little buyer he'd tagged to the warehouse behind the club tried his best to appear nonchalant. Sadly for him, the Commission already had plenty of dirt on a habitual junky who just happened to get out on yet another petty theft charge.

All to follow the rat to its nest.

Hawks' job had been as simple as Junko-san had said it'd be. All he had to do was keep an eye on Ishihara Kazuya and their rat would eventually make contact for the fix he'd stolen cash for and let the police know when he made sure the sell had been made.

He'd been doing just that when he found little Miss Chimni outside the club. Alerting her friend in the club had been a courtesy. They had been some nice company to have while in there, not to mention some good extra cover to boot. Repaying them with a couple of minutes of heads-up was more than enough. It did worry him that they'd separated though. Thank goodness they found each other outside minutes before the cops raided the place and got away scot-free.

"Captain, we found the drugs."

_Let's see what kind of candy they have here._

Sauntering his way into the warehouse, the police allowed him access without trouble. As they cataloged the boxes upon boxes of pharmaceuticals before hauling them out, Hawks noted one smaller box yet to be touched. With his hands in his pockets, one of his feathers swayed downward before opening up the flaps of the box. Amber glass bottles. Smaller than the others and fewer as well. All were neatly stacked to fit in the box which made those empty spaces in the first layer kind of stick out.

Turning to the boys in blue, he nodded towards it. "What's in this one?"

One of the women walked up to him, opening the flap half-opened by his feather with a pen of hers. Taking one of the bottles in her gloved hand, she opened the amber bottle and tossed out tiny compressed tablets of a light blue color before doing a double-take.

"Suppressors?"

Almost instantly, his brow furrowed. "What?"

Calling a buddy over, the two went about examining the pills. They talked amongst themselves for a moment before the man who'd come by to help addressed him.

"These are Quirk Suppressors."

"Aren't downers kind of...out of season?" It was a way to put it without being so blatant about the history that came with such drugs.

Enhancers had been the favorites in the last couple of decades and were still in circulation underground in these types of places. It wasn't unusual for a villain or two to pop up with them in their system from time to time. Suppressors, however, were a thing of history books. At least as far as Quirk history went. To see those popping up now was certainly strange.

"They've begun to surface recently. Started a few years ago by the looks of it when a good 20 boxes like this one got intercepted." The man took note of the box before it got taken away.

Hawks let out an astounded whistle. "That's a haul."

"But this one is strange. One box wouldn't be enough to supply whoever's buying them in bulk."

"They could be selling them on the down-low." This time it was the first woman who spoke up. "Lots of old-timers know about it since it was given to kids to treat unruly Quirks back in the day."

_Unruly Quirks, huh?_

Crimson wings fell, downtrodden by the sound of such a thing being done to anybody. Especially kids.

Having heard enough of a horror story, Hawks let them know he'd be heading out before doing so. Once in the street, he spread his wings behind him ready to take into the sky when he heard a peculiar sound. Glancing over his shoulder gave him a good look at the cops as they took the boxes of bottles into white vans. But it wasn't so much the sight that caught his attention as much as the sound.

That rattling.

He'd heard it before. Or more like sensed it from one of his feathers minutes before going in to check with the police. And it had come from a speeding motorcycle. _Could it be?_ The more he thought about it, the less it made sense though. What would a grown woman want Quirk Suppressors for in their kind of society? He suddenly yawned, his hand coming up to his mouth to cover the gesture as his eyes watered a bit.

_I'm probably just tired._

Pulling all-nighters the past two days must've been playing tricks with his mind. Convincing himself of it, his wings spread fully once more before he soared into the sky,

* * *

**3:45 am — Kyushu, Chimni Household**

The roar of her motorcycle died down as she parked it next to her car, letting the sigh she released much more noticeable in the sudden silence. Closing the garage door and locking it, Miryoku walked over to the motorcycle and pried off the seat, the brown glass bottles sticking out like a sore thumb in the small crevice.

Miryoku took them back with her as she entered the house. Locking the back door behind her, she eyed the lock for a moment as a thought came to her.

_I should get deadbolts for the doors._

The sliding glass door in the backyard especially, now that she thought about it. All thoughts of security rushed out of her mind as the loud padding of Junji's feet strutted down the stairs to meet her. Barking a few times and jumping a bit to be petted, Miryoku shushed him with a laugh as she gave him what he wanted.

Tonight had been a long night though and all she wanted to do was sleep. Miryoku shed the jacket on an armchair on her way up the stairs with Junji on her heel as she climbed them. Kicking off off her heels with ease, she dropped onto her bed without much preamble, leaving her bag on the floor next to her bed. For a hot minute, she thought about just forgetting about everything that happened and going to sleep in her dress and makeup. But when she heard shuffling nearby and peeked an eye open only to see Junji sniffing around inside her handbag, Miryoku thought better of it.

"Not this time, you don't, you big oaf." Easily pulling the bag over, Miryoku sat up in her bed while fishing out the bottles and standing up at last.

Opening the door to her closet, she tiptoed to reach the top shelf where she'd put most of her unopened boxes and pulled one out. It was mostly empty, old gifts from exes and whatnot littering the inside which she easily disposed of in the trash without a pause. Putting one of the bottles in the box, she closed it back up and put it back in its place before heading to her nightstand.

The few bottles of medication there were a sight for her sore, tired eyes. The amount she took while barely twenty-two stopped bothering her a while back. So adding another that did wonders wasn't any worse in the least. Emptying the pills into an empty white bottle, Miryoku disposed of the brown bottle in her trash, the clattering of it sending chills down her spine. In her hand, was only one of the light blue pills that she hadn't placed in the white bottle.

'_There isn't a need for you to take them anymore, Chimni-san. You can control it now.'_

Her hand trembled a bit at remembering her psychiatrist's words when the Suppressors she'd been taking since she was eleven suddenly got discontinued as medical treatment. She hadn't had them for long—a few months at most—but they gave her a sense of control that she hadn't had since she was a little girl. And the thought of being without them frightened her to her core. Even to this day.

But with money of her own and a source to get them from, that fear had been gone for the better part of four years now. And she couldn't be more grateful for it. She knew they were illegal. She knew they had been discontinued as legit medicine because of certain addictive properties that had been discovered back then. But she frankly didn't care. What they gave her was the same thing that moving out of Tokyo and to the quiet prefecture of Kyushu did.

And that kind of peace of mind was priceless compared to everything else.

Popping it in her mouth, Miryoku swallowed the pill with ease before letting herself fall back onto her bed. The weight of Junji as he climbed on caused the mattress to fall on one side and Miryoku turned to face her dog's snout as he let out an easy-going breath before letting himself fall asleep.

"Night to you too, Jun."

With that, Miryoku closed her eyes and let the night she had that day come to pass.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Finally got this done! I've had this chapter mostly written for the last couple of weeks but there were a bunch of little things that needed to be tweaked so i left it awhile to gather some dust before going in for the edit. **

**This was actually going to end differently (a little surprise visit from Hawks, maybe) but decided to give Miryoku a little bit of rest after the hell she's been through. She'll have plenty to deal with later on. This one was a little bit of everything but I know you smart cookies can guess just what came into the limelight for this chapter. **

**Miryoku isn't squeaky clean. Never has been. I'm in love with how much of the bnha world I get to explore that's not PG rated. Bnha touches drugs and the kind and when they mentioned enhancers during Overhaul's arc the thought of downers came to mind too. And Miryoku was the perfect one to put in the pool of people who'd use them, with good reasons too. Though those won't be as obvious until later on. **

**I'm mostly happy with this chapter. It was hard coming up with this little plotline so i hope it didn't come across as too forced. Also, good news, we're finally going to start getting into the canon timeline next chapter! You'll see what I mean when it comes up with yeah! I'm super excited about that. **

**For now, I've gotta hit the hay. Got class tomorrow and a test in two weeks so I've gotta focus back on that. Next wip to be updated will be Golden Repair in case any of ya'll are interested :) **

**Hope you enjoyed it and that you stay tuned for the next chapter! Have a great rest of your day/night! **

***Evie* **


	5. When a Door Closes

**This was supposed to be a short chapter. Have no clue what happened. Anyway, enjoy~**

* * *

_**Interview with a Winged Hero**_

**Chapter Five:**

_When a Door Closes_

* * *

"When I tell the truth, it is not for the sake of convincing those who do not know it, but for the sake of defending those that do."

— **William Blake**

* * *

**|Offices of JP Weekly|**

Miryoku couldn't believe the amount of 'get well soon' cards and nifty gifts that sat on her desk when she got to her cubicle the next day. It was hard to imagine that so many of them knew who she was—hell, she mostly only talked with Hoshiko and Koyanagi—so finding all these goodies and well-wishes waiting for her was quite a pleasant surprise.

"Our little hero's back to the grind, huh?" Miryoku chuckled at Koyanagi's remark as she sat down in her chair. "So, how does it feel to be the talk of the office?"

"I'm not," she dismissed, busying herself by skimming through a few of the cards with a smile. "Who left all these?"

"Some higher-ups and a couple of workers who—get this—actually like Hanazawa." He waggled his eyebrows in a way that earned a chuckle from her. "Also from us, of course. I gotcha the Avengers one 'cause you kicked ass, and Hoshi got you the chocolate mints, I think."

_Ooh._

Dropping the cards on her desk, Miryoku hurriedly dug through the small gift bag Koyanagi pointed at and pulled out the decorated box of chocolate mints. They weren't anything special. Just the kind that restaurants gave out. But boy did she love the damn things. If she got anything from her grandpa's side of the family, it certainly had to be their damn crazy love for the dumbest of sweets. Plucking one in between her lips, Miryoku savored the refreshing taste along with the sweetness of the dark chocolate as it slowly melted in her tongue.

"I knew you'd like them."

Hoshiko sauntered out from goodness knew what corner of IT to wrap her arms around Miryoku's shoulders. Unable to sit up, Miryoku simply smiled pleased, her hands patting the arm that wrapped in front of her shoulder. Once Hoshiko had her fill, she stepped back with a smile on her face.

"Glad you're back to us well, hun. We missed you these past few days."

"Missed you guys, too." Miryoku smiled as she put the cards and gifts under her desk to make some space to work on. "I was dying to get back, honestly."

"You should've fought for more days off," he countered. "You could've easily gotten away with a week's paid-off vacation after the fiasco at the gala."

"Didn't want to just ditch you with all the work, Koyanagi. Besides, Koujiro-san would just be blowing up my cell if I missed more than necessary."

"Spea-king-of-which!" Hoshiko bounced on the balls of her heels as she enunciated every word. Looking to either side like a kid not wanting to get caught, her coworker snuck behind Miryoku's cubicle, crouching down to hide as she clung onto the edge of her desk to not topple over. When she suddenly started whispering, Miryoku found herself brushing the hair away from her ear and bending to one side to listen to her friend. "Nagano-san brewed up a legit _storm_ when he learned what happened at the gala."

Miryoku blinked in disbelief. "He what?"

"Ooh, you should've seen it!" Hoshiko squealed. "The whole office just turned quiet the day after the gala when we suddenly heard him screaming at the top of his lungs from the conference room. It was actually kind of hot."

"Don't listen to her." Miryoku straightened to turn towards Koyanagi. "She's letting her 30-something-year-old lust get the better of her."

"Was he really yelling?"

Koyanagi's face scrunched up as if gauging his answer before saying it. "He loudly gave his very stern opinion."

"He blew his damn gasket!" Hoshiko muttered by Miryoku's ear as she sprung up to clutch the back of her chair. "You missed out on it! And it was all about you!"

"...me?"

Hoshiko cleared her throat, her voice suddenly dropping several octaves from her high-pitched tone. "'If this was a known threat, we shouldn't have sent either of them out there in the first place. Not only is she the best damn journalist I have, but she risks her life for your daughter and you just want to give her a stupid bonus!?'" Her coworker giggled to herself as she shook Miryoku's chair back and forth giddily. "I can't even with that man! I swear he has a thing for you with how vehemently he defended you."

"He does not," Miryoku said with a chuckle.

"No?" Hoshiko's light blue hair done in a stylish bob bounced around as she laughed haughtily to herself while bubbles escaped from her skin like petals falling from a tree in autumn. "I beg to differ!"

_Uh oh. There it is._

Miryoku let out a chuckle as Hoshiko went on a tangent about the hot topic that came around every other month. Despite working in IT and having plenty of work to do with an office full of desktops and programs, Hoshiko was never one to miss on the office romance of the week. If it wasn't her and the imaginary crushes she concocted about her and someone in the office, it was someone else's. And what spooked her most was that she was right most of the time for the dumbest reason.

Which brought her to the bubbles that floated around now.

The time Hoshiko told them about her Quirk had been one of the strangest conversations she'd ever had. Those Giddy Bubbles of hers were a weak kind of truth serum that surfaced from some glands on her skin that, because of the viscosity of the substance, created bubbles that floated with ease away from her. You'd ask 'why giddy?'. Well, when Miryoku said 'truth serum', she meant it in the way that laughing gas made one stupid enough to let any kind of truth to slip. So, in a way, she supposed liquid laughing gas would be a more accurate way to describe it.

And her getting this excited about anything turned the notch on her Quirk up to 11 without her even realizing it. The bright and glittery blue bubbles floated freely around the small space around them, some popping harmlessly by themselves and others getting popped by her as she swatted at them with some random file. Koyanagi groaned under his breath, a grin barely pulling at his lips as he elongated his nails—a very commonplace Quirk, really—to pop the bubbles that came near him.

"Relax, Momose. You're bubbling up."

"Oops, my bad," she giggled and let out yet another squeal. "I just can't help it! It's just so amazing to think that such a hunk of a man could have the hots for you!"

Miryoku opened her mouth ready to counter what her coworker so mistakenly claimed when a shadow came over her cubicle. Instantly, Hoshiko sprung to her feet, clamoring with a clipboard she feigned to be picking up, while Koyanagi sank back to his cubicle. Miryoku, on the other hand, easily turned her chair to face the man that incited this whole ludicrous conversation in the first place.

Despite it, however, Miryoku smiled up at him as she stood with a bow. "Good morning, Koujiro-san."

"Good morning." Her brow rose a bit at how stern his words sounded. Before she could ask about it, Koujiro tapped her computer screen and gestured towards the offices across the hall with his head. "My office if you would."

Miryoku wasn't even allowed a single query before he left towards said office. And maybe it was her imagination but she could've sworn that the dark patches of his skin were glowing the slightest bit red, burning. Imagination running wild aside, it was painfully obvious that something wasn't right. Miryoku patted Hoshiko's arm as she rose from her seat, trying to stuff her co-worker's soul back into her body after the spook she just got.

Not wasting a minute, she entered Koujiro's office. It wasn't anything grand despite it being for JPW's editor-in-chief. Though a large enough space, the rather sporadic furniture and decorations humbled it quite a bit. Aside from his oval desk, computer, and chairs, there was a spare couch to the far right with a large shelf next to it. Books filled that shelf to the brim, most having to do with their line of work, though Miryoku spotted a couple of children's books tucked along with the thick tomes.

"You can take a seat if you'd like," he offered as he went about opening his windows before taking a seat behind his desk.

"No, thank you. What is this about?"

Those dark eyes of his searched her for a very long moment. Had it been anybody else under his extensive scrutiny, they would've most likely already confessed to every and any mishap they could've recently committed. Miryoku knew better though. Koujiro-san only had a rather scary-looking face that tended to not change much despite his emotions. Being under his tutelage after graduating high school taught her as much.

And besides, if he were really angry, no way in hell would he be caught lighting a cigarette in the middle of his office. The crimson spots that she'd seen glowing under the black patches of his skin hadn't been as imaginary as she'd thought. That much was clear when he scratched his thumb along the long patch running along his neck to ignite it and quickly light his cigarette. Any sane man would worry about the fire detectors going off if he ever dared to light a smoke in the building. Then again, no sane man goes around disabling them after routine check-ups.

Kojirou took a long drag of his cigarette, the patches of black on his skin glowing as amber as the tip of it, before turning away towards the window and blowing out the smoke.

"How're you doing?"

His concern didn't surprise her. He called her maybe five times the night of the incident at the gala after the word got out. Compared to that, this was a much tamer way to show it.

"Alright," she said after a long and tired exhale. Deciding that maybe lounging around wasn't so bad, Miryoku made her way to the couch on the other side of the room to slump down on it. "Not the first time something like that has happened during work. Though getting kidnapped certainly is a first."

"You're handling it well."

Miryoku smiled coyly then. "I heard you didn't."

At hearing that, he scoffed, some of the smoke coming out of his nostrils as they flared. "Momose tell you that?"

"You know I don't give out my sources," she replied with a giggle. But as the giddiness died down, she dropped every pretense as curiosity strung her up. "You're not one to blow up at just anything. What had you in such a fuss?"

"Damn unscrupulous bastards, that's what."

_This sounds like a peachy story._

"Nothing new in our field." Miryoku shrugged dismissively. "It's how they do business."

"Not with my employees, they don't." Finally done with his cigarette, he squashed it on the ashtray sitting on his desk before releasing the last of the smoke through his nose. Mindlessly, Miryoku waved away the smoke that reached her, her nose scrunching up from the smell. "They wanted to throw you under the bus."

"For what purpose?"

"Steer away controversy from Hanazawa."

Koujiro took his time explaining everything after that. Apparently, after the whole fiasco with the kidnapping and during her days off, the police had come into the offices to question the chairman. Though not uncommon since it had been his daughter that had been the target, it was what he said after that first caught her off guard.

"They wanted to pose the story that the kidnappers had been after you the whole time and that Saori had just been caught in the crossfire."

The thought alone made her livid, yet she remained as composed as ever. The only telltale of her fury was the marks her nails were leaving on the inside of her palms as they balled into fists. Taking her silence in stride, Kojirou sighed.

"I stepped in to stop their media circus before they could start it."

"What would the point even be to start something like that?" she asked, incredulously.

"Anything to save face. Which reminds me…"

Kojirou searched through one of his drawers again before procuring a blank envelope from inside and passing it on to her. Stretching over the space between them, Miryoku took it and took out the single check inside along with the folded piece of paper that fit neatly in the envelope. What baffled her most at first was the number written on the check.

"Quarter of a million yen from the chairman?" She checked it twice. Yep. That definitely had the number 250,000 yen written in with ink along with the chairman's signature on the bottom right. "What is this?"

"Hanazawa called it compensation for saving his daughter's life." He sneered at the word, spitting it with much vitriol. "But I think you and I know exactly what an amount like that is when attached to those kinds of papers."

Finally, Miryoku set the check inside the envelope before unfolding the letter and reading it. She didn't have to get far to understand what it was, though.

_An NDA._

"It's hush money." The paper crumpled under her grasp as a frown formed on her face. "You can't be serious."

"Now you understand why I was pissed off."

"_You're_ pissed off?" she scoffed as she rose from her seat with both the envelope and non-disclosure agreement in hand. Before she knew it, the sheer anger boiling within her had her pacing the large office in its emptiness. "This is a fucking slap in the face after what I did. His daughter's life gets endangered because he's a lousy gambler and _I_ get the fucking brunt of this fiasco!"

"That bullet got dodged thankfully. I somehow managed to save you from that last one." As he turned to her, Miryoku finally stopped in the middle of the room just behind one of his chairs as her knuckles turned a ghastly white holding onto the back of it. "Which brings me to the actual reason why I called you here: are you signing it?"

"Am I signing it?" Her cheeks warmed at the mere suggestion. "Oh, I'll do you one better." Stalking over to his shredder, Miryoku easily placed the envelope and NDA agreement in the slot before pressing the button and watching the blades make ribbons of both.

"And next time you see him tell him this: I helped his daughter only because her getting hurt or dying was not something I'd let be on my conscience. And if he's that loose with money right now that he might want to start paying those loan sharks what he owes them and get rid of the problem that got Saori in this mess in the first place."

Reaching for the door, Miryoku glanced over her shoulder before storming out of his office for good.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work I need to be doing. If you need me for anything else, it better be more worth my time than this was."

* * *

**|Afternoon — Hawks Hero Agency|**

"Is it true? Are you really retiring?"

Junko barely graced Hawks with a mere side glance as she was already too busy working on other paperwork to give him any more attention than that. But he wasn't having any of it. Having just returned from the Hero Public Safety Commission's office after his summons, he 'overheard' from the president something about the old lady hanging the mantle as his PR. A job, mind you, she had taken to since his damn agency was founded. Now not only did he find out about it this way, but Junko's silence was putting him awfully on edge.

"It is," she replied after a full minute of silence.

Climbing through her window after easily prying it open from the inside with his feathers, Hawks stepped inside without much preamble before turning to her with a rather displeased expression.

"You've had this job for almost a decade."

"I'm needed back at the Commission."

"What about your job _here_? Who's going to take care of that?"

"I'll find a replacement well before I'm scheduled to leave, Takami-kun."

"Is this someone going to be another one of your jolly bunch from the Commission too?"

Though he didn't intend for his tone to slide off into slight frustration, there wasn't much helping it from his part. Hawks didn't despise Ohno Junko. Much like his relationship with a select few employees at the Commission, he was rather indifferent about them. That fact alone was enough to tolerate them and, in Junko's case, actually come to like the old lady. But now the mere thought of having someone else take her place was exasperating. And the worst part for him was that it'd be a total stranger that would most likely not take lightly to his indiscretions.

"That is still to be decided." She straightened a stack of papers in hand as she said this and let that settle in before adding, "But it is highly probable that yes, my replacement will be an appointee from the Commission."

Well, there went his good mood for the entire week. Not wanting to be in there anymore, Hawks climbed out of her window, hovering midair just outside her office with that blank expression he usually gave them.

"Alright. Not like I have a say in things anyway. Just saying though, if you have someone who won't be on my case about every little thing I do, that'd be great. Already have enough with the rest of you doing that to have another here."

Junko meant to reply to his comment. That much had been obvious by the way her expression changed. But by the time he noticed that Hawks had already shot through the sky to get as far away from there as possible.

Despite his dull demeanor, there was something broiling in him that he hadn't wanted anybody in there to see. His sidekicks and workers all knew him either as the rather uninterested boss during patrol or the easygoing one between them. Them seeing him like this was just a big no in his book. If he was going to vent, he'd do it somewhere private.

And high.

Choosing the tallest communications tower he often found standing towards the north side of the province, Hawks landed with a few missteps as he plopped down on the edge of the tower. The sun was already setting in over the horizon signaling the end of yet another day. And though this would usually be the time of day that he would simply go home, drink some beer and enjoy whatever movie was playing on TV, he knew better than to leave without dealing with how torn he was about the current situation.

Losing his PR manager shouldn't be this hard. It wasn't like it was a hard position to fill in...if he were any hero that was. But the mere fact that he doubled as a Commission employee meant that it would definitely not be. The position had been intentionally assigned to Junko even before his agency had opened because it was easier for someone from the Commission to erase or modify any kind of suspicious information and keep it from the masses.

Normally, it wasn't an easy job. Far from it. Being _his_ PR manager would be merely impossible for anybody outside of the Commission. And that was exactly why he hated the thought of having someone new. He already had to tolerate them at the Commission, after all. He didn't want to have to deal with them and their stern, stone faces 24/7.

The thought alone made him heave a long, irritated sigh. Even if he hated the idea, there was nothing he could do to stop what was already in motion. Not like he could have done anything anyway. That simple reminder always made things easier to swallow.

Just a bit.

With his thoughts in order, Hawks let himself relax as much as possible. His wings followed suit falling heavily behind him. As he watched the sun fall over the horizon, his thoughts wandered yet again about what this sudden change would mean for his work.

There was no telling how long Junko would stay for. For all he knew, she already began the process of interviewing any potential candidates. But that wasn't something she would tell him. Not without a good reason, anyway.

Just as he was thinking of who she could possibly have in mind for the position, his phone rang with a notification. He picked it without trouble and saw only one text from Miruko.

'_You hear about U.A.?'_

_Yuuei?_

Curious, he texted her back a curt 'no' and was promptly answered with a link. Following it took him down a massive rabbit hole. He took to reading the few headlines that appeared in social media and couldn't believe his eyes. They really couldn't have widened anymore had he wanted them to.

Bold and bright as could be was every headline that covered the topic. All succinctly told what Miroku had meant and what had a very large part of the media in a craze.

'**Prestigious hero academy attacked by a horde of villains during school hours.'**

Each and every article online had the same headline or some variation of it. With each one he read, Hawks could feel his stomach turn somewhat at the idea of those helpless kids getting ambushed like that. Worse yet that Yuuei couldn't protect them despite being full of heroes.

"So much for that…" he muttered under his breath while reading another set of articles. They all gave him the general gist of what happened despite the details varying widely between sources.

What was worse was that the more he read through them, the more he could sense how this could not bode well for him in particular. Villains attacking a prestigious school for potential heroes that fed into the ever-growing dependent society of theirs? He scoffed incredulously.

_Yeah, no way they'll miss out on this._

And like clockwork, the call came in as he was reading through his 13th article. Brightly shown on the screen of his phone were Junko's name and number. Surprising himself, Hawks let the call go to voicemail. And again when she called a second time. On the third one, just as he was about to press 'dismiss' on the screen again, the name and number gave him pause.

It was the Commission President.

_God, the word spreads faster than me._

Knowing that it'd only turn bad for him if he ignored her, Hawks let it ring a few times before answering.

"Hello?"

"_Hawks. We have something to discuss with you."_

"Do you now?" he asked, his voice turning coy as a half-grin pulled at his lips. "And here I thought you were calling to see how I was? Could be better, is the answer to that question if you're remotely curious."

Completely dismissing his cajoling like always, the lady went straight to the point.

"_We have a new mission for you."_

* * *

**|Next Day — JPW Offices|**

Her fingernails rapped against the long glass table where she, a handful of the other journalists, and a research team sat around rather impatiently.

Miryoku could count on one hand the times these same people had been gathered in this same office and none of them were pleasant things to recall. It often had to do with big deal cases that were being published left and right, and where JPW needed to stick their spoon in with pieces of their own. Oftentimes, one of them was chosen to write it with the rest working as surplus researchers to make the task swifter and get it out there sooner. She didn't doubt this would be any different.

And guessing from the news that had already spread like wildfire since last night, this impromptu meeting was to get their piece out there ASAP.

"You all know why we're here," Kojirou finally said as the last stragglers found their seats. "But if you've neglected the media for the past eight hours, let me recap it for you in as few words as possible. U.A. suffered a villain attack yesterday during school hours. Villains weren't apprehended and a couple of the heroes were injured. From what is being said and the sources going around, All Might put an end to the altercation before further injuries could occur."

Questions were thrown around the room almost instantly. Miryoku remained quiet and, unlike them, decided to instead listen. Their questions were quite redundant. What sources would they be working with? Had the police a lead on the villains? Had U.A. given its public statement yet? And many more that fell somewhere in that spectrum.

Nobody asked the question that she knew they wanted a desperate answer to, however. One that went tenfold for the five of them scattered around the table as journalists.

Who would be the lead journalist in the article? Or in simpler terms, who would get the notoriety of writing about U.A.'s biggest scandal to date.

Miryoku didn't waste her energy thinking such things. Especially since Kojirou had already called her the night before to inform her personally of the incident and to tell her what he would announce to them all during this very meeting.

At last, their editor-in-chief quieted the bunch of them before calling the attention of five of his best reporters in the room. All of their eyes turned to him. Miryoku simply kept her gaze on the glass table, staring at her own heels instead.

"Now, you all have voiced your interest in this project and I appreciate your enthusiasm. From all of you, however, I've chosen Chimni to overtake the task."

Unanimous groans from the four of others didn't surprise her. It was frankly expected. As were the comments that followed them.

"She's not even the most experienced here!"

"We can do as good a job as hers."

"Better even!"

"Are you really going to leave this on a damn rookie's shoulders?!"

_Stop crying already._

It's not like she asked for the job. Petulant as their whining was, Miryoku would admit that they weren't all that wrong. From the five of them, she was certainly the one with the least experience and youngest of their bunch. She wouldn't bet on their works being better than hers, however.

But when those dark eyes of his fell on her to comment and quiet them for good, Miryoku couldn't deny the job. If Kojirou thought she was the best for it, his judgment would be one of the last things she would ever question.

"If he deems it proper for me to take the task, I won't oppose it. As shouldn't any of you. He's got more experience than any of us combined. The fact that they're leaving this to us as a group and not to him who would most certainly perform better than us combined is already fortunate enough. I'm not about to complain about the opportunity of even being considered."

Though they glared down at her, no words left them. They wouldn't possibly say anything against what she had said and risk insulting Kojirou in the process. So they didn't, and instead, all took their seats while begrudgingly accepting their editor-in-chief's decision. More useless talk that Miryoku wasn't very fond of ensued, mostly about the data they had gathered overnight for the group to work with.

The more she heard of what happened in such vivid detail, the more she felt her stomach turn. These poor kids had been subjected to a horrible thing when they were the most vulnerable. Not only that but the way that the media at large were treating Yuuei and its staff was beyond reprehensible in her honest opinion.

Setting aside the fact that they're pros, the blame shouldn't be completely on them for what transpired. They hadn't been the ones asking to be attacked. Even if they were the hero course, the expectations everybody had of these people were too high. Pro heroes or not, they were people. _They_ were the victims in this case. And blaming the victim for something out of their control was just despicable.

If anything, Miryoku could wager that had they not been there in the first place, what they would be reporting now would be a bigger tragedy than this simple incident.

"You okay, kid?"

Miryoku didn't bother answering at first, lost in her thoughts as she was. The meeting had gone by rather quickly after that initial discourse. They expected the piece done before the end of the week. A ludicrous task for anybody alone but one that was just manageable with the team they had set up. Speaking of which, said group of four had reluctantly accepted her as head of the project, which meant that she would have to deal with their sour-asses for the next couple of days. Nothing new. But she was still at odds about how they wanted to present this whole case to the public.

Laying back on her chair, it creaked under the strain as she now stared up at the ceiling. "Do we have to write this like everybody else is doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know," she said with a long exhale. "Blaming this whole thing on Yuuei for not being sufficiently prepared and everything."

His eyes went askance at the question as he pondered over it. "I was told by the higher-ups to not rock the boat too much." He tapped the manila folder he'd passed to her and the rest of her group with all the information their research team had gathered so far. Miryoku took it in hand and opened it, skimming through samples of other articles that did just as she'd described. "And _that's_ that status quo right now."

"But it's not entirely their fault, though. There were other factors at play. Ones that should be mentioned. Ones that change the perspective into a more fair one."

"Be that as it may, we got our orders. And as head writer for this project, I expect your best."

Her nose scrunched up at that, her eyes lifting briefly from her sorry excuse for reading. "You always get it."

"Push yourself further this time."

"Sure thing." But as she went back to reading, a mumble escaped her. "No promises on whether it fits their narrative though."

Before she even realized it, his hand splayed over the papers she had been reading before lowering the folder onto the table and forcing her to meet his leveled gaze.

"It better be. Remember, Miryoku, I can protect you from things that are out of our control. But _this_? You're on the helm of it. If you screw up or don't play by the rules they've set for us, you tie my hands behind my back and push yourself overboard."

Miryoku hated that what he said was something that just _was._ And even more that she agreed.

Feigning a smile, Miryoku slid the folder from under his hand and snapped it closed as she rose from her seat.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

**|Nighttime — Tsukauchi Residence|**

"They want you to lie?"

"Not...exactly?"

Despite how much she wanted to convince both herself and Makoto about what JPW wanted her to write about Yuuei, there really was no way around it. They wanted her and her team to purposefully write a piece that would be damaging to Yuuei's reputation. It was painfully obvious that JPW wasn't out to uncover any truths or search any deeper into what this attack on the school meant outside of the scope that the media had already put out into the public.

It wasn't like they hadn't done this before. The few projects she'd been in charge of as lead writer were far and few in between but none of them had this underlying sense of deceit that she had with this one. Not to mention soft-pedaling.

That alone made her admit it to Makoto with a tired sigh.

"Okay, yeah. It's basically lies put in prettier words and dressed in bows."

Her friend scoffed, disgruntled, and dropped her can of beer on the table precariously. Miryoku shoved her hand in before the can could topple over the edge and ruin the carpet they were both sitting on. Setting it on the table but as far from her laptop as possible, Miryoku stared at the blank document in front of her. The text cursor taunted her with its flashing as if dogging her into doing what she truly wanted to instead of what she'd been told to.

Visiting Makoto at her home had been an impromptu thing. Usually when she was at odds with her conscience and life, Makoto tended to be the right guideline that would set her straight on the right path. Most of the time anyway. Though the fact that they had already downed a six-pack of beer left much to be desired.

Somewhat defeated, Miryoku played around with her half-emptied can as she laid back against the foot of the sofa they were using as a backrest.

"Why is this so hard?"

"Simple." Makoto reached over her laptop to the platter of snacks she had prepared for her visit, earning a peeved glare from Miryoku. "You suck at lying."

"What?" she called out indignantly. "I don't _suck_ at lying."

"Course you do. And my biggest proof is that I've never once had to use my Quirk on you to know that." Giggling, she waved her hand before her own face while mimicking different expressions while laughing at the end. "You're very expressive which makes you_ horrible_ at it."

Before she knew what hit her, Miryoku shoved a handful of chocolates into Makoto's mouth, forcing them down her throat.

"I'll show you expressive."

"Mako, I'm home—oh man."

Almost instantly, Miryoku sat away from Makoto who kept smacking her chest to keep from choking. Something hard to do between the chocolate in her throat and the laughing fit she was having. Naomasa didn't so much question what he had just seen as much as he did her sister's friend being at their home.

"Good evening, Nao-san." Miryoku greeted him from below as the two of them sat on the floor next to each other and before the low coffee table.

"Evening," he replied. "It's nice to see you again, Miryoku. How have you been?"

"Well enough, I suppose." The _hiss_ of Makoto opening another beer just barely caught her attention and made her remember something about all the information she'd been reading through at work. Sitting on the couch and turning to him instead, Miryoku smiled. "Say, I heard you were at Yuuei yesterday with all that happened."

Those dark eyes of his fell suspiciously on her, something that she was quite used to by now. Especially from him as a cop.

"I wonder where you heard that?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, places. Anyway…" Scooting closer to the armrest that separated her from where he sat at his desk chair, Miryoku leaned her chin on said armrest like a child would to plead for a snack. "Wanna talk about it?"

"You know I can't."

"Oh, come on, Nao!" Finally recovering from her near-death experience, Makoto jumped onto the couch, sending Miryoku airborne for a millisecond before latching onto her back and giving her brother those dreaded puppy eyes. "Ryo's trying to deal with a moral crisis she's going through."

"Moral crisis?"

Telling him wouldn't bring any harm. Doing just that, Miryoku was grateful to have the Tsukauchi siblings with such differing mindsets to help her with this. After telling him, however, Naomasa seemed even more determined to not say a word. Accepting this, Miryoku only groaned and clutched the cushion she'd moved to sit in its place.

Seeing as it was getting late and she was getting nowhere, Miryoku decided that heading home soon and getting over her dilemma there was the best course of action. This needed to be done and she only had a couple of days to finish it. As she and Makoto washed the dishes before she left, her friend came out of the blue with a rather unsavory question.

"So, are you going to do it?"

It took Miryoku a moment to figure out what she was talking about. "What, lie?"

Makoto nodded. "Are you gonna write Yuuei into the ground like the rest did even when that's not what you want to do?"

"Y—" Miryoku couldn't even finish the word. It dragged on embarrassingly, her lips refusing to say what she knew she had to admit, only to finish with her pursing her lips and groaning yet again. "I don't know."

"That's not an answer."

"It's hard, okay? I can't just write anything I want."

"That's never stopped you before."

"Yeah, well, I'm threatened from the top down. So if it doesn't pan out well, goodbye job and income."

_Something I sorely need after the unexpected move._

Makoto pursed her lips for a moment while nodding before sighing and turning off the faucet.

"Fair enough."

That she was finally agreeing with her on something brought some relief to Miryoku. Then she opened her mouth again with the last thing she wanted to be reminded of.

"Just thought that the person who almost beat the living shit out of a high schooler because they trampled all over her integrity would value it now more than ever when someone else's was being attacked like this."

* * *

**|4:47 pm — JPW Office, Briefing Room.|**

"Redo it."

The group of journalists groaned in unison for the tenth time that day. Miryoku remained silent as she stood before Kojirou and received the draft she'd given him with a tenuous grasp.

Since that morning, the five of them had gotten to work with the project. Because of how late they were to the news as it was, they were on a tight schedule to get the piece out by the end of the week. But this was the tenth time they had rewritten the damn thing only for Kojirou to yet again reject it. He had given them valid criticism at the start, and they had taken heed of it, rewriting around that. But it seemed that the more polished the piece became, the more critique he had of it. Miryoku simply couldn't wrap her head around how that could be.

"What's wrong with it _this _time?" one of the other writers said, obviously fed up with him.

"You're leaning too far to Yuuei's side," he said. "We were told specifically to remain as neutral as possible. I thought I gave you an example of what they're looking for."

"That's not neutral," Miryoku corrected him. "That one is trampling all over Yuuei."

Kojirou let a long exhale through his nose as his eyes closed for a moment. "I told you already that we were told to go with the status quo. You can't go writing something like this."

"So if we prompt it more to how they mismanaged their safety and resources, and focus on the danger they put the brats in, we can go?"

Miryoku glared back at the one that suggested such a thing. And though they looked away from her scowl, they didn't cower nor retract their words. What's worse, Kojirou agreed with their view, if begrudgingly.

"That's what they want it to come out as. So yeah, do that. Just...be subtle about it."

That was enough of a tone to dismissive themselves with, but when Kojirou asked her to stay, Miryoku waited back until the last of them left. Once gone, Kojirou heaved another long sigh and pierced her with his dark gaze.

"Stop."

Her brow furrowed at the one word. "Stop what?"

"You're redirecting their joint work to fit the narrative you want."

Miryoku's lips parted ready to dispute his accusations, but a mere glance from those dark eyes made her dismiss that idea altogether. Instead, she went with what she always did: the truth.

"It's not any different than what you want us to do," she said with a roll of her eyes. "At least I'm trying to be unbiased here."

"Unbiased isn't what is needed."

"Correction, it's not what is _wanted._"

Those eyes glared back at her so poignantly that Miryoku held her breath at the chill that down her spine.

"I'm not going to argue with you on this, Miryoku. For once, don't make this one of your crusades."

She hated that he called them that. As if telling the truth and not serving any purpose, be it political or societal, was something to be ashamed of. As if that wasn't supposed to be the core values of their work. The thought alone had her jumping at his throat with the sharpest rhetoric she could harness.

"To play their game better than them—that's what you taught me. You taught me that I should always look for a way to fight the same oppressive system you're making us follow now. I've already checked and this so-called status quo is fragile at best. If just _one_ person goes against it, there's no doubt others will follow. Not everybody thinks this is more Yuuei's fault than the villains'."

"And I also taught you to pick your fights." This time when he exhaled, it was drawn out and rather exhausted. "A good majority supports this, Miryoku. That's not something we can fight against with just a handful of people."

"Fuck the majority. They're just an angry mob looking for someone to blame since the villains escaped their vitriol."

"Be that as it may, it changes nothing. This isn't one we can win."

"But—"

"Enough." Miryoku flinched when he suddenly sprung from his chair and raised his voice at her. Instantly though, regret washed over his face as he sat back down while massaging his temple. "Let this go, Miryoku, for both our sakes. It's not worth dying on this hill. Especially not now. Just write what I told you. Get it done by today, edit it by tonight and send it to the publisher by morning."

The oddness of that last sentence caught her off guard. "You're not proofreading it?"

"I gave you guys the project for a reason," he said. "I've got my own work concerning this fiasco with Yuuei. Even if I wanted to, I can't look it over. So do me that one favor, Miryoku. Do as I tell you for once and we'll have this behind us before long."

Her gaze fell briefly as a pause came over her. When no answer came from her, Kojirou found himself raising his voice the slightest of bits one last time.

"Are we clear, Chimni?"

Miryoku took a deep breath before she nodded. "Yes."

"Thank you."

The relief in his voice was evident. That more than anything had her forfeiting her case. But it did nothing to erase the bitter aftertaste the conversation left behind.

* * *

**|Five years ago — Tokyo|**

The light spilled into the dingy room that she called hers without so much as a warning. Miryoku flinched as the light hit her eyes and turned in her bed to face the wall instead, her sight seeking sweet relief from the brightness. Just as she was about to slip back to sleep, however, something yanked the thick blanket she'd been wrapped in. Reflexively, Miryoku curled up into herself, wanting the warmth to return, but when it didn't, her eyes fluttered open.

"Up with you."

Her grandfather's raspy voice barely registered in her brain. When it did, all Miryoku could do was groan and huddle closer to the wall in a petty attempt to avoid him. Something he took in stride as he smacked her shoulder with his cane.

Miryoku yelped from the pain, scrambling out of bed and towards the farthest end of her bed where he wouldn't reach her without some trouble.

"What the hell!?" she yelled, furious.

"I said up. It's already three in the afternoon."

"And?" she spat back. Careful not to get in range of his cane, she reached down for her blanket and hauled it back over herself as she turned towards the wall once more. "I'm planning to sleep the day away, so sod off, ya damn geezer."

_Smack. Smack. Smack._

This time, Miryoku had to run away from her bed to avoid him altogether, but as she did so, her feet tangled with the blanket and got her to crash face-first against the wood floor. She sat up after a bit of painful rolling around and closed her hand around her hurting nose, the sudden hit making her voice nasally as she shouted.

"What the fuck is your problem!?

"You sulking around like some damn brat."

Not wanting to admit that he was right or the reason why, Miryoku merely clicked her tongue as she rose from the floor. The fact that she was so blatantly ignoring him caused him to raise his voice again.

"I didn't think you'd be so pissy about some stolen article."

_Goddamn it, Makoto._

"It's not _just_ some article, you old coot," she spat, kicking away a random pile of clothes that littered her floor. Were they clean? Dirty? Who the fuck cared really. She just wanted something to kick around that wouldn't fight back. "It's something _I _worked hard on. And I was so _fucking_ proud of it. Then this little shit just went and took it from me because she _felt _like it! Tell me how the hell that's fair!"

As her mind raced, a manic laugh escaped her as she combed her hand frantically through her tangled hair.

"But I guess I shouldn't even be fucking surprised anymore, right!? It's what everybody does to me! They just fucking take and take and _take_ and I can't ever do anything about it!"

All of her rage took over then. It was hard to stop it once it did, too. It had her ranting nonstop and it didn't seem to have an end in sight. Frankly, she didn't want it to end. Rage was something that made her feel better. Sometimes it was the _only_ thing she felt. And it always felt good to be angry. It was invigorating. And it was so much better than feeling the helplessness it kept at bay.

Done with words, her grandfather didn't stop her when she suddenly began throwing anything she could get in her grasp. None of them were aimed at him. And the few that ricocheted towards him were easy to dodge with his Quirk. Amidst all that destruction, though, he didn't stop her.

He let her explode.

And explode she did.

All up to the point where she was spent and exhausted. Her rage now gone allowed the helplessness to creep its ugly face in. And with it came an all too familiar sense of grief and powerlessness that she knew had absolutely nothing to do with what she'd been ranting about. They never did. They were just there like persistent little demons. Almost as if they clawed onto her back and left marks that were too deep to ever heal. Like they were only there to continuously bleed and let those emotions leak out from where she kept them locked.

And the tears that inevitably came were the last drop.

The clacking of his cane blended into her sobs as he approached. Miryoku didn't lift her head at the sound. What little bit of her pride was left didn't want Sorahiko to see her like this. So weak, so broken.

So out of control.

A hand suddenly rested on her head then, making her breath hitch as her tears rolled down her cheeks. His touch grounded her briefly...and she let herself breathe.

"I'm not telling you to not be angry. You're just starting to see the value in yourself again. _That's _why you're angry. And that's good."

Her tears flowed again, egged on by how much his words made sense to her.

"But you can't just be angry." Retreating his hand made the spot atop her head feel empty and had her looking up, her gaze desperate and searching. "Being content, being selfish, being excited—you've gotta relearn all too. The world won't go easy on you, much less help you. But you know that. And it's because you know that that you have the upperhand already."

His cane came down towards her and Miryoku flinched a bit out of habit. When no hit came however, her sunset eyes opened to meet the end of his cane that he offered instead. Miryoku took it in her grasp as he pulled her up to her feet the only way he could.

With a little bit of help.

"Few people can tell apart injustice at a glance. Experience gives people like us the ability to see it." Those beady dark eyes of his looked up at her. It was easy to get a glimpse of that experience he spoke of. If she could see it in his, it made her wonder what he could see in hers. "You know what injustice looks like, kid. Now the question is, are you going to lay around moping or do something about it?"

Miryoku let those words settle and before she knew it, the words that formed in her heart slipped right through her lips.

"I don't want to cry anymore. I want to do _something_."

Sorahiko nodded and walked over to the door, opening it further with the tip of his cane and letting the light from outside pour in once more and illuminate her tear-stained face.

"Have at it then."

* * *

**|4:23 am — Kyushu, Chimni Household|**

Miryoku seriously considered slamming her head against her keyboard. The only thing stopping her was the fact that it was relatively new and had been a somewhat expensive buy.

_Why is this so fucking hard?_

She'd been staring at the damn document for the past two hours in her lame excuse of editing. Though not for a lack of trying. The whole thing was lit up like a Christmas tree from how many comments and highlighted passages she had written on it. If anybody saw it, they would just tell her to rewrite it all and get it over with, but therein laid the problem. All the corrections she made only turned this piece that she and the rest of the group had written according to Kojirou's example into an amalgamate of the one she had turned in during work.

The very same one that got rejected ten times over. Groaning into her hands, Miryoku finally slammed her head down and missed her keyboard by inches, hitting the desk instead. Beside her, Junji whined as if sensing her distress.

"...I can't do this."

Feuding ideas fought in her head so vehemently that it was just impossible to think. Kojirou and Makoto's words repeated in her head relentlessly, too. They picked at her brain like two little devils with pitchforks and were obnoxious beyond words. But they certainly got her thinking.

Her job at JPW was something she valued greatly. Not only did it pay well, it also allowed her to do what she always wanted to do. Certainly if anybody saw it, they would seriously start thinking that she had a loose screw for even questioning her current workplace with all the commodities it gave her. And though it had its lows, there was no justified complaint to be had.

The questionable ethicality of _how_ the work was done though was very much an issue with her.

It was something she learned pretty fast after she interned under Kojirou after highschool. The workforce was as unscrupulous as they came. The majority, anyway, which sadly included Kojirou. Much like he had that afternoon, he admitted to her early on that in certain circumstances it was necessary to stoop down to society's level. Times like those, he explained, were the ones where proving society wrong would only make them dig their heels further into the ground. Facts couldn't illuminate those that purposefully blinded themselves to them. And when it brought nothing but vitriol towards oneself and to the company? Boy. It never ended well once they got involved.

Miryoku prided herself in her work, yes, but just as equally, she took pride in doing what was right. And this…

_It just doesn't feel right._

Head full of nothing but cluttered thoughts, Miryoku left everything as it was, climbed onto her motorcycle and took off into the dark streets. It was calming to feel her own blood pumping through her veins and thump behind her ears as she rode very much over the speed limit. The streets were blissfully empty at almost 4am though, so despite not knowing the streets well yet, it gave her plenty of leeway to navigate through.

Adrenaline rushed through her as she circled another corner. As she did so, a park came into view. It was closed behind an iron fence that was easily a few feet taller than her, but as she slowed down and glanced at the streetlights surrounding it and noted no visible cameras, a thought came to her.

_If it ain't hurting anyone…_

Miryoku parked her motorcycle a block or so away from the park and walked the rest of the way there. Two street lights next to each other illuminated the fence well enough. All except for the spot where the circles of light barely missed each other. Small as she was, it was easy to sneak between them and come close enough to the fence to climb over it. And though climbing over fences was certainly way easier back when she was in high school, Miryoku was glad she hadn't forgotten how to after so long.

Though the silence would've been eerie on any other occasion, the fact that this place was fenced off made her a little less worried about others being there. So instead of worrying so much, she used the flashlight on her phone to make her way through the park and take the peaceful late night walk she opted for.

The place was very well kept. Being this early in spring still had the trees brimming with vibrant leaves. Shrubbery and well-taken cared off flower beds decorated the gravel path she followed. In that silence, the chirping of crickets flooded her ears for most of her walk until the rush of water reached her. Miryoku followed it until she found herself in what she assumed to be the middle of the lavish park where she a working fountain stood.

It was quite the sight to see. Though the water flowed slowly, the lights within it still merged flawlessly beneath the water, changing into various colors and giving a rather beautiful lighting to the flawless statue in its center. It depicted a woman in a flowing gown, her head slightly tilted downward as she held in her hands what looked to be a lyre. Coming closer, Miryoku found a plaque that read 'Divine Songstress' and the name of the sculpture that she knew nothing about.

She could appreciate it all the same, though. And as she sat on the edge of the fountain and watched the flowing water change into different vibrant colors, her mind began to wonder again to Makoto's words.

"_Just thought that the person who almost beat the living shit out of a highschooler because they trampled all over her integrity would value it now more than ever when someone else's was being attacked like this."_

Was that it? Was all this indecision caused by the mere fact that she couldn't fathom herself betraying her own integrity? It certainly felt like it.

From the time she decided to make journalism her career, Miryoku knew in her heart that she would always advocate to tell the story that others could or would not tell. To be the voice of the voiceless in their time of need. That didn't mean not writing lies either. Chasing her creed to hell and back did mean breaking the rules sometimes and she wouldn't be the hypocrite to deny that she herself had done it. Just the one time though. And it had been done with the same principle in mind. To help those in need that could not speak or defend themselves in the eyes of an unjust society.

But this was different and she knew it. What they were ordering her to do was not only to defame Japan's biggest hero school but also put to shame the efforts of heroes that did their damndest to protect their students against villains who sought out to harm them. Were they at fault? Her mind told her somewhat, yes. But the world couldn't go around victim-blaming them only because they 'should've known better'.

"_You know what injustice looks like, kid. Now the question is, are you going to lay around moping all day or do something about it?"_

Her grandpa's voice rang loud and clear in her head and had her chuckling. Those were indeed the words of a hoer. A cranky, decrepit hero, but a great hero nonetheless. And as she stared down at the vibrantly colorful waters with those words in mind, her own response from those years ago came to mind as a small smile crept to her lips.

"I'll do something about it."

Heart settled and knowing what she wanted to do, Miryoku reached down wanting to brush her fingers over the surface of the water before leaving but stopped short when something else disturbed it first as it came into view.

A feather.

A bright _crimson_ feather.

"You know, we've seriously gotta stop meeting like this."

_You've got to be kidding me… _

Sunset eyes glanced upward just in time to watch Hawks step onto the statue's folded arm, his large wings spreading behind him and somewhat reflecting the light spawning from below. A grin split his face as he reached behind his ears to push back his visor and let those amber eyes search her. Before he got much of a look though, Miryoku stood and started making her way back towards the path that brought her there without a single word.

It didn't take long for the _whooshing_ of those wings to come from behind and catch up to her. Her walk became a brisk run as she tried her best to lose him. Something quite futile to even try by the look of things as he easily caught up with her by the time she reached the fence again.

"It's usually quiet around these parts. Got me wondering why I sensed an odd disturbance while flying over on my way home."

Did he ever shut up?

"By the way, how'd you get in here? This private park's closed during the night."

_Guess not._

Miryoku ignored him and instead focused on measuring the distance between her and the fence. This far away would give her a good running start. Just as she was about to go for it though, Hawks burst out in front of her out of the blue with that smug grin on his face and stopped her in her tracks.

"Need help getting out?"

"No," she deadpanned. "I just need you to move."

With that said, she pushed him aside without asking. Once the way was cleared, she took a few steps back again and took the running start she needed for jumping and climbing over the fence with a little less effort than she had before. Miryoku let herself fall to one knee to break her fall on the other side of the fence and rose while still keeping to the darkness. Slipping through the street lights once more, Miryoku finally left the quiet park behind her.

Sadly, though, the winged hero didn't quite stay there.

"Nice jump."

"Thanks," she said. "Weren't you going home?"

"Yes, but then you ignored me and that just hurt my feelings." The whole theatrics as he held onto his chest for emphasis had her rolling her eyes. "So, Chimni-san, care to explain what you were doing at a _closed_, private park so early in the morning?"

"Nothing that you can prove," she commented without missing a beat.

"Touché."

Finally, Hawks landed on the street just when Miryoku reached her parked motorcycle. Lifting her leg over it, Miryoku kicked back the kickstand and kept it steady between her legs, standing on her tiptoes as she started to fiddle with the strap of her helmet.

"This the same one you took to _Uzume_?"

At last fed up with all these questions, she let her helmet bang against the steering wheel before turning to him with a peeved glare.

"Have you nothing better to do at four in the morning than play twenty questions with me?"

He chuckled at her blowing a gasket which only fed more into that particular ire.

"Guess not," he admitted. "Late night's got me exhausted out of my mind, I think."

"Then _go _home," she enunciated. It was then that she finally put on her helmet and strapped it in place. The motorcycle roared to life at the turn of the ignition but as she revved it, readying to go, the sight of him in her way yet again made her groan out loud. Flipping back the visor on the helmet, she scowled at him. "Do you _need _something?"

"Not really." He chuckled as he lifted himself inches off the floor with a firm flap of his wings. The boyish grin on his face though seemed to turn mischievous the more he stared at her motorcycle. "Correct if I'm wrong but you said this thing can reach the 100 mark, right?"

The question was so out of left field that it turned her annoyance down a notch or two. Confusion made her shake her head dismissively as she answered, "Yeah. What about it? Want to race or something?"

Miryoku meant it as a joke. She really had. But the glint in those amber eyes of his told her he hadn't.

"Uh, no," she deadpanned at last. "Going over 100 is very much illegal."

Hawks shrugged nonchalantly as his gaze narrowed ever so slightly on her. "So is trespassing."

Sunset eyes widened a bit before narrowing on him. "You're really blackmailing me over a dumb race?"

"Blackmailing is such a horrible word." Flying closer to her, Hawks leaned on the windshield while still maintaining his altitude. Miryoku, on the other hand, backed away as he began to get a little too close for comfort and the motorcycle shook side to side as she tried backing off and keeping its balance simultaneously. "Persuading sounds much nicer. Besides, it sounds like fun—"

"You want fun? Get a clown."

"And you look like you need to blow off some steam."

That last bit caught her very much off guard._ How...?_ Was Makoto right? Was she that easy to read? Hell, even if she was, what the hell did he gain from doing this anyway. But he seemed very much serious about this little 'fun' of his. It was while debating whether this would be worth possibly getting caught that she heard him make the most demeaning noise she'd ever heard in her life.

"Bawk bawk."

_That's it._

"You're on, you oversized pigeon." With her fierce declaration, Miryoku snapped the visor back down and revved the engine on again.

Hawks snickered at how easy that had been as he flew back from her motorcycle. Plucking one of the downy feathers closest to his shoulders, he held it between his fingers and pointed at it with the other hand.

"If I remember right, your house's around here, right?" Miryoku simply nodded and revved her engine again. Hawks nodded with a roll of his eyes and a grin on his face. "Then it starts when this hits the ground. First one to your house wins. Deal?"

Miryoku nodded. Hawks flew away and let his feather stay where he'd held it as he took his place beside her to start.

The feather fell.

It was tough to see it behind her visor and in the pitch of night, but the moment that thing was mere inches away from the ground, Miryoku kicked off and shot out like a bat out of hell. Her engine roared to life like a damn tiger as it propelled her through the long street ahead. Close by, she could sense the rush of air pulsing through from the flapping of wings and she groaned. She was barely hitting sixty and he didn't even seem to be trying.

_Damn it. _

Guess his whole shtick of being the fastest was no joke.

As they approached an intersection with streetlights, Miryoku spotted an alleyway by the corner of her eye and veered away from the main street, drifting into it. Avoiding lights would be her best bet. Not just to win but to avoid any accidents with this whole race.

"Good idea!" How she heard him over the ruckus of her engine and the flap of his wings was beyond her, but his deep voice reached her ears as he caught up to her. "Alleys are gonna be useful here!"

With a cheeky two finger salute, Hawks shot ahead with a powerful flap of his wings, rolling onto his back in midair to look back. The force was enough to cause her to wobble a bit but Miryoku quickly regained control only to speed up to try and catch up. Just as she peaked at 114 miles, she couldn't help noticing a strange noise.

Strange because it wasn't coming from outside. It was coming from the inside of her helmet. With a gasp, she realized what it was and almost lost the handle on the accelerator.

It was laughter. _Her_ laughter.

How she even missed herself laughing was beyond her. Stranger still that she couldn't even recognize what the hell her own genuine laughter sounded like. But that's what this was. It was making her cheeks and stomach hurt from how much she was smiling, and the mere fact that she caught this widened her goofy grin further. To think that something this dangerous had her like this.

How utterly ridiculous. And she loved it.

Winning in her mind now, Miryoku pushed her baby to the max and reached her home in record time, drifting to a stop just in front of her house as she got there. Standing on either side to hold it in place, Miryoku undid the strap on her helmet and yanked it off to scan her surroundings frantically. Sweat fell down her forehead and neck as she did this, her legs even a little shaky after the whole thing. But what had her smiling from ear to ear was the adrenaline pumping through her veins along with the fact that there was no sign of the red-feathered pigeon anymore.

"I won."

"Guess again."

Sunset eyes widened before turning up to her rooftop where she found Hawks sitting crossed-legged with a cheeky grin on his face. With much ease, he jumped down barely hovering at all to reach the floor before he took the few steps to her. He reached out as he got closer to knock on the motorcycle that was much warmer than usual.

"Thing's fast, I'll give you that." Hawks snickered as he placed his hands into his pockets. "Not faster than me though."

"There's gotta be one that is," she pointed out between pants.

"Let me know if you find one and we can test it out."

Chuckling with a shake of her head, Miryoku finally climbed off of her motorcycle and walked it up to her garage. It was as she was closing the door behind her and spotted Hawks still hovering a bit off the ground in front of her that she looked up with a smile.

"Thanks for the pick-me-up," she said. "You didn't have to, but thanks."

"What can I say?" he shrugged, his wings spreading further as he chuckled. "It comes with the whole hero title. One simply doesn't leave a woman by herself when she looks so down on the dumps, right?"

Scoffing at that, a sudden light shone in streams against her eyes forcing her to cover her face from the sun.

Wait a minute.

_Sun?_

Picking out her phone, she read the time and blanched. 5:37 am. Work was at eight. And that whole problem project she'd just figured out needed to be turned in to the publisher before that.

"Shit!"

"Work?" he guessed.

"Y-Yeah." Miryoku struggled to find her keys in her pockets but once she got them in hand, she ran up the steps to her door. It took her a frantic moment to open the door but just as she was about to hurry in, Miryoku waved back over her shoulder with a smile on her face. "I'll get another motorcycle some time for that rematch!"

"I'll hold you to it." Finally, Hawks saluted at her one last time before leaving just as fast as he'd gotten there.

Once inside, Miryoku hurried to her room where she found Junji dead to the world on her bed and the whole edited work on her desktop computer just as she'd left it. But instead of dread, Miryoku felt a sense of relief and newly found inspiration.

She knew what to do now. She knew what she _wanted _to do. What she wanted to uphold.

And nothing was going to stop her from doing it.

Quickly, Miryoku ran through the changes and edited the piece to her liking before sending it to the publisher without a second thought. That done and only an hour and a half left before she had to clock in, Miryoku scrambled to her bathroom to take a quick shower and head into the office where hell would surely await her for what she just did.

But at least this way, she would face it without regrets and a smile on her face.

_This is what I can do._

And she'd be damned if she didn't do it.

* * *

**|10:55 am — JPW Offices.|**

Hoshiko and Koyanagi hanged by Miryoku's cubicle rather nervously as they waited.

Eerily enough, the whole floor was quieter than usual as well. That didn't keep the rumors from floating around in small mutters, though. And it didn't take a genius to figure out why.

JPW was the damn talk of the media at large alongside Yuuei's attack from the other day. And both were not mutually exclusive this time around. That morning at 7:30 am the article on Yuuei had been released to their online subscribers and published in the physical magazine to be distributed later that day. But what none of them had expected was for the article published to outright defend the hero school, laying facts upon facts that, quite frankly, few could refute even if they only had half a brain cell functioning.

It was a brilliant piece of work.

And only one person in their agency could do such equally bold and idiotic thing without reservations.

Kojirou had taken Miryoku to the briefing room hours ago. From the sound of things, their coworker was getting the chewing of a lifetime. It wasn't like she hadn't been reprimanded before; a stunt like this wasn't new of her, though admittedly it'd been in much lower profile cases than this one. But it appeared that her disobedience this time was costing her quite the slap on the wrist.

"You think they'll fire her over this?"

Hoshiko's thoughts slipped out of her as she sat in Miryoku's chair awaiting her return. In the neighboring cubicle, Koyanagi busied himself typing away at his keyboard trying like many of his coworkers to dissuade the chaos that was unleashed onto JPW after Miryoku's stunt. Clicking his tongue, he sat back from the computer screen and glanced over at Hoshiko.

"Honestly, yeah. Even if she's the best we've got, what she did was very stupid."

"Beyond stupid." Both looked up to see Saori coming along to stand beside Miryoku's cubicle. Her pink gaze narrowed but wasn't directed at anyone in particular. "She might've just thrown her whole career down the drain with this."

"What do you—"

But her words died in her throat the moment the briefing room's double doors opened.

A few executives burst out fuming red, cursing and almost foaming at the mouth. To say they were upset was a gross understatement. The chairman exited next. A long and tired expression swept across his face as he walked past them. He didn't even acknowledging his own daughter who raised a hand to get his attention as he walked by. The last to come out were Kojirou and Miryoku who both stood by the open doors for a moment longer. Though the flor was still enough for even a dropped pin to be heard, their voices were eerily quiet.

A private conversation between the two.

Rather than upset, their editor-in-chief appeared more dejected than anything. Something that caught all of their attention. Kojirou ended the conversation with a few words shortly after it began and reached to rub her arm for a moment. Miryoku smiled before stepping back and taking a deep bow before him.

The moment they saw her returning to her cubicle, Hoshiko sprung out of the chair while Koyanagi feigned going back to his computer in their sorry attempt to dissimulate some sort of normalcy. Saori didn't bother. When she rounded to her desk, Miryoku took a seat and stared down at her hands as she laid them on top of her desk, their slight trembling painfully noticeable.

"M-Miryoku, is everything alright?" Hoshiko asked in a hushed tone.

"Of course not," Saori snapped back, clearly annoyed by the dumb question. "Look at her. She's shaking. What did they tell you?"

"Are you in a lot of trouble?" Koyanagi added, taking advantage of Saori's sudden inquiry to add his own.

Silence answered them for a moment and it was incredible the patience they had to wait for it. Once it came though, it was not what they thought they would get at first.

"I'm not in trouble."

"Really? Then that's great...isn't it?" But Hoshiko's slight inflection gave away what they all were thinking: it definitely wasn't.

"What did they say?" Saori repeated, more dogged than before to know. "Did they reprimand you?"

Miryoku nodded still seemingly out of sorts after what she had been through.

"Immediate suspension for three weeks with no pay. And I would have to give a public apology stating how the published article was nothing but a false claim before they retract the publication."

Though Hoshiko didn't quite understand that last part, Koyanagi and Saori did. Miryoku was the titled author of the article, only aided by the rest of the journalists from her group. If retracting the piece was what they were after, the public apology would give enough credit to them for doing so by putting all the blame on her and completely detaching any involvement away from the company at large. That apology was her giving them the permission to throw her to the proverbial sharks.

"Okay, that's not _great_," Koyanagi said, trying to address the very thin silver lining there was to be found there. "But at least you can come back to work after that. Sure, you'll be under tons of scrutiny but you'll keep your job, right?"

"He's right!" Hoshiko said with a bit more enthusiasm to uplift the somber mood. "I'll even give you a hand with that apology. Anything you need, I can get for you. Just say the word."

"You don't need to."

"Quit the pity party and accept the help, Chimni," Saori spat back. "You'll need it to get back on Nagano-san's good graces."

"I'm not writing that apology."

All three instantly stopped.

"What?"

"You can't just _not_ write it," Koyanagi hissed back, leaning against her side of the cubicle. "You _need_ to!"

Finally, Soari was the one that said the words that clicked. "They'll fire you if you don't."

"No, they won't." Her hands stopped trembling then as her emotions settled and the ghost of a smile brushed her lips. "I already quit."

* * *

Slumping into his chair, Kojirou let the heaviness of what had transpired through the couple hours long meeting settle.

He lost her.

Despite fighting tooth and nail to keep the journalist he had given his all to nurture, he lost her after six years of combined internships and work. And this time, it wasn't something he could prevent.

Not when she had been the one to pull the trigger.

"_I won't retract from my word. And if doing so is what it takes to keep a job that holds me back from doing what I know is right, then I quit."_

Simple as that.

The words were out of her lips before he could stop her or make her reconsider. But no matter what any of them said, Miryoku hadn't budged from her choice. The executives were more than ready to let her go. Even though it would still damage the company brand, her quitting was the least of two evils when compared to her apologizing and keeping her job. But he and the chairman could also see the downside of losing her as a journalist. Miryoku alone wasn't a game changer in such a large company but she was indeed a force to be reckoned with in their line of work.

Kojirou could attest to that being the case as the one who taught her most of what she knew. He understood what it would mean for any other company to attain her as an asset. Most of all, the woman was passionate about what she did. And passion was something he greatly admired in her.

"_You're not just a great journalist, Miryoku. You're an amazing woman that's worked hard for what she has. Don't throw that away now."_

But not even his sincerity was enough to convince her. He could still see the heartwarming smile she gave him outside the briefing room as she rose from her bow.

"_A simple thank you can't describe my gratitude, but I suppose it'll have to do. So thank you, Kojirou-san. For everything."_

That damn smile that won him over years ago now had him admitting defeat. That smile so full of quiet determination...and relief.

_Damn it._

Kojirou couldn't deny her after that. In the end, he had to come to terms with letting her go. Though that didn't keep him from worrying about her. The girl was beyond troublesome when one didn't know her work habits and could both work around them and exploit them. It would be a miracle if she found work anytime soon that would tolerate her long enough to notice that.

A long exhale slowly exited through his nose, his nostrils flaring somewhat. His thoughts wandered as he toyed with his phone, flipping it this way and that, and it wasn't until he mindlessly thumbed through his recents contacts and saw one of his latest phone calls that he stopped in his tracks.

He couldn't stop Miryoku from leaving, that was a sad fact he'd have to come to terms with, but just because she was didn't mean that he would stop looking after her like he had for the past six years. And this opportunity might just be the most perfect parting gift he could give her.

Redialing the number, Kojirou held it up against his ear while busying himself with clicking on a pen as he waited for the call to go through. Once it did, an old woman's voice rang through from the other side.

"_This is quite the unexpected call coming from you."_

"Hello to you too" Seating back on his chair for a moment, he tossed the pen on his desk before turning on his chair and rising from it to pace around his office. "I actually called you to ask about that opening you said you have."

"_Opening?"_

"The public relations spot your stepping down from."

"_Oh that. Are you thinking of applying after all?"_

A grin started to pull at the edges of his lips at the thought of what he was about to do.

"No. But I think I found someone who might just fit the bill for that opening you're leaving, Ohno-san."

* * *

**A/N:**

**This gave me a little trouble to write just because I couldn't piece it together in a way that seemed coherent. But blessed be flashbacks! It had me finishing this late last night and now I present it ya'll!**

**We've moved into the current timeline in BnHA after the first 4 chapters. Not bad, i think. I legit thought it would take more but I liked how this ended up here in this chapter instead. Also before any of ya'll point it out, I just noticed I've written Kojirou's name so inconsistently through like the whole story, but because i'm too lazy to go back and change it, i'll just make it official here and stick with the one from this chapter xD**

**Though I'm skipping my usual pleasantries, I just want to say thank you to all you lovely people who have favorited, followed, and reviewed this mess of a story! It makes me happy to know others are enjoying the work I love doing. I truly don't deserve any of ya'll. You're all amazing and I love you tons~!**

**For now, I'll leave you with this. Next time, we're going into a whole new playing field, leaving JPW and getting Miryoku into a brand new job :D If she can live through the hellish recruiter that's Junko. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that you stay tuned for the next update~**

***Evie***


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